Animal Laws: From Jallikattu To Siberian Huskies

The year 2017 has opened on a positive, if tumultuous, note for animal advocacy groups.

This has led to protests across Tamil Nadu and some vicious trolling of animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals-India and its head, Poorva Joshipura.

While India has some of the strongest animal laws, for the longest time, animal advocacy groups have been bemoaning the lack of stringent punishment for cruelty to animals. The effectiveness and implementation of the laws is also up for debate considering how certain groups in Tamil Nadu are openly flouting the ban on Jallikattu. Penalties for abuse under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 are barely Rs 50, less than a dollar. Which means that for even the most horrendous of animal abuse incidents, offenders can get away with the lightest of fines.

Last year, following the death of Shaktimaan the police service horse, the brutal killing of dogs in Delhi and Bengaluru, and the acid attack on a pony in Hyderabad, animal advocacy groups, including the Humane Society International (HSI)-India, have been petitioning the Prime Minister Office to increase the penalties for animal abuse with this hashtag: #NoMore50.

While the law is yet to be updated, here’s a look at some of the recent policy victories for animal advocacy.

Interim Ban on manjas: The National Green Tribunal placed an interim ban on glass-coated kite flying strings after a petition by PETA India. “The interim ban is expected to save many lives as it comes just a month before Makar Sankranti, a festival during which there are many bird and human deaths caused by manja,” said Nikunj Sharma, PETA India’s government affair liaison. The ban is imposed on nylon, Chinese, and cotton manjas coated with glass.

Stay on the ban on Jallikattu: The Supreme Court questioned the necessity of festivals such as the traditional Jallikattu from Tamil Nadu, and stayed the Centre’s notification on lifting the ban on it. The interim stay includes events such as bullock cart races and bull fights as well. In December 2016, the High Court in Hyderabad also upheld the ban on cockfighting in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, in response to a petition filed by the AWBI, HSI/India, PFA, and other organisations.

Animal Testing: An amendment to the Schedule Y of the Drugs and Cosmetic Rules, 1945, was passed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, following appeals by PETA India, HSI/India, and the Union Minister Maneka Gandhi. The amendment prevents testing on animals for new drug registrations when complete data from earlier toxicity experiments already exist for drugs approved abroad. Apart from that, the ministry also ended two cruel and obsolete drug tests on rabbits, including the Draize irritation test, moving towards more humane methods. “This has been a big victory for rabbits,” said Nuggehalli Jayasimha, managing director of HSI/India. “Tens of thousands of rabbits will be spared from this cruel test which has become obsolete now.”

Ban on import of dogs for breeding: HSI India and People for Animals urged the Director General of Foreign Trade to take cognisance of animal welfare concerns related to the shipping and import of breeds of dogs that are not suitable to India’s tropical climate, including Siberian huskies, St Bernard’s, and Alaskan malamutes. Following the ban on import of dogs for breeding, Gauri Maulekhi, HSI/India representative and PFA Trustee said, “We commend the Director General of Foreign Trade for this historic ban that will prevent the suffering of thousands of dogs. Our shelters are inundated with cases of abandoned imported breed dogs who are usually left out because the owners do not have a fair understanding of the breed’s requirements.”

Birds have the right to live freely: The Hon’ble High Court of Gujarat banned the caging of birds in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, following an appeal by PETA India, saying that “[i]t is the fundamental right of the bird to live freely in the open sky” and “[t]o keep birds in cages would [be] tantamount to illegal confinement of the birds”. The local authorities further issued a circular to ensure that “birds are set free whenever they are found in captivity in inhuman[e] conditions”.

New veterinary education regulations to phase out calf killings: Following efforts by PETA India, new veterinary education regulations will phase out the killings of calves. According to PETA, almost 1,000 calves are killed annually in India to each veterinary anatomy and surgery to students, alongside thousands of frogs, rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits, in what they call an archaic type of training. The regulations will include computer simulation, the setting up of an ethically-sourced body-donation programme and other humane teaching methods.

New Arms Rules 2016 notified: People for Animals has been campaigning for the regulation of air guns, since it can cause serious harm to animals and birds. The Home Ministry has issued a directive that makes it mandatory to obtain a license to buy, keep, sell air rifles and air guns, as part of the new Arms Rules.