Animal Cruelty in India

“Compassion for animals is intimately connected with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.”

Arthur Schopenhauer

Introduction:

Earth is the home of god and goddesses, which the flora and fauna bless us with, in order to aid the human existence peacefully. Animals are an important part in the maintenance of the ecological balance on the earth. But sadly, animal cruelty in India is increasing day after day, leading to severe effects on the environment.

All living things reserve a privilege to live on this Earth. Yet, we, all the time become, absolutely, unfeeling toward their torment; simply because these creatures can’t communicate in the language of people; they don’t have a voice. When God created Earth, he had a particular reason for every single living thing. And he did as such, to create harmony and find balance. He needed an existence where concordance and harmony won; thus, he made the ‘evolved way of life’.

It is important to keep up with the biological equalization in nature. However, man, in his insatiability, is wildly pillaging the regular house of creatures. And murdering them aimlessly for delight, for food, for their skin and different pieces of the body, and preparing some to serve their needs. Gradually and continuously, with the progression of time, he turned out to be so narrow-minded that he began accepting that the planet was made for just him.

Kerala Pregnant Elephant Killed by Villagers

 The pregnant wild elephant in Silent Valley Forest had succumbed to a demonstration of human pitilessness on May 27 after a pineapple loaded up with incredible wafers offered by a man detonated in her mouth when she bit on it.

The Mannarkkad Forest Division in Palakkad has enrolled an FIR (first data report) in the demise of the 15-year-old pregnant elephant. The elephant died on May 27, days after it attempted to eat an organic product loaded down with explosives. While the elephant passed away on May 27, the Forest Department enrolled an FIR the following day, on May 28, against unidentified people. In view of the idea of its injury, we assume that it passed away because of the explosive attack. “We are suspecting that the elephant fell prey to the touchy catch used to battle off wild pigs.” KK Sunil Kumar, Mannarkkad Divisional Forest Officer (DFO),. Utilizing catches to trap, wound, or murder a creature is a remorseless practice; and even an endeavor is culpable under the Wildlife Protection Act.

“In woodland ranges, typically, to keep wild creatures from attacking or entering developed zones; individuals utilize two-feet-high fences loaded down with explosives to get wild hogs. Now and again, its prickly edges jab its body when it draws close, and because of its body’s weight, the saltines deliberately attached to these walls may detonate. There is another unlawful practice where it eats natural products with poison or such bombs. In such a situation, the wild pig faces slaughter for its meat. There is no proof currently to propose that the elephant was purposefully taken care of such a touchy. We are likewise examining on the off chance that it bit an organic product weighed down with explosives or legitimately bit these catches,” said Sunil, including, “For this situation, it is conceivable the elephant was harmed because of these explosives.[1] “

Head Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden Surendra Kumar discloses that the wounds indicate the harm came to the elephant because of an unstable explosive. “This much we can say without a doubt now. Who was behind it and what occurred, we are exploring,”. After this incident, one common question comes to every mind; and that is whether the literacy rate of a region guarantees the common sense of people living there? The act done by the people of Kerala is very pathetic and it is completely unacceptable from the state having highest literacy in the country.

Demand for Amendment in the Laws relating to the Wildlife Protection

There is a developing chorus among the wildlife activists requiring a nationwide campaign across to revise the discipline segments of the Wildlife Protection Act and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Both of these archaic laws are, at the very least, 50 years old. With such antique laws, there is little dread among the culprits. Likewise, it shows that the administration needs to think progressively about untamed life and make vital revisions to carry animal-abusers to justice.

In 1972 the Wildlife Protection Act order passed for insurance of creatures and plant species. In the year 2002, revision of the law took place and came into power in 2003; making discipline and punishment for offenses under the Act progressively rigid. Offenses against natural life draw a base detainment of three years which may stretch out to seven years and the greatest fine of Rs 25,000, contingent on the applicable segment of offenses. The Indian Elephant is secure under Schedule one of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which manages the greatest insurance. It is in records as “Endangered” in the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

 Veg/Non-Veg Debate Throughout the Nation

After this incident, there is active debate was going on all the social media sites regarding the eating habits of the people. The common question animal activists raised was, is it mandatory to have non-veg eating habits in our diets at the cost of thousands of the lives of the innocent animals?

The mass majority answered the above question. We cannot stop the consumption of the non-veg food because it will severely affect our food chain; but the killing of animals for our own sake is not good at all. Because those innocent animals cannot speak for themselves. They too have their moral existence, they too have families, they too have emotion. We don’t have any right to kill them to feed ourselves; and in reference to the food chain, we are not completely dependent upon the non-veg food. We have vegan food as an alternative to us, we can easily have that.

Trade of Animal Skins/Tusks

Throughout the year’s illicit untamed life exchange has developed as a type of Organized Transnational Crime; it undermines the presence of numerous wild species over the globe. In India, it incorporates different items including mongoose hair; snake skins; Rhino horn; Tiger and Leopard paws, bones, skins, bristles; Elephant tusks; deer prongs; shahtoosh cloak; turtle shells; musk cases; bear bile; therapeutic plants; lumber and confined feathered creatures, for example, parakeets, mynas, munias and so forth. An enormous piece of this exchange is intended for the global market and has no immediate interest in India.

India has a solid legitimate arrangement system to control and limit untamed life exchange. Exchange more than 1800 types of wild creatures, plants, and their subsidiary is disallowed under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Likewise, an individual from the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora 1976) refers to a global understanding between governments; it expects to guarantee the universal exchange of wild creatures and plants to not compromise their endurance. It works by oppressing universal exchange examples of chosen species recorded on appendices to specific controls. In India, like numerous different nations, the issue isn’t of the laws; yet, these might be inadequately conveyed and similarly as ineffectively actualized and implemented.

Conclusion

Regularly, positive endeavors to address untamed life concerns are sabotaged by the absence of political will and administration disappointments. Without political support, disincentives for over-misuse and illicit exchange, for example, punishments for legitimate encroachments, are very frequently frail. There is an earnest requirement for information and activity to bring lawful natural life exchange inside reasonable levels and stop all unlawful untamed life exchange that has compromised and even pushed numerous species towards annihilation and extinction. Towards this TRAFFIC, an untamed life exchange checking system and a joint program of WWF, the worldwide preservation association and IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, set up in 1976, work intimately with the National and the State Governments and different organizations to help study, screen and impact activity to control unlawful untamed life exchange and bring natural life exchange inside feasible levels.

References:

[1] Killing of pregnant elephant in Kerala: FIR lodged against unidentified offenders. (2020, June 03). Retrieved from https://in.news.yahoo.com/killing-pregnant-elephant-kerala-fir-090616509.html