Animal Cruelty

This is concerned with human civilization and it’s preceding and long-term support system, acting no less than any ‘ancillary’ – Animals.
We often overlook a very common thing, which ends up being stigmatic- every existence on this planet counts.
How could we act so cruel?

If we go back in time or could recall the memories of our childhood- watching animated shows on TV, and most of the time marking some of them as our favourites for the reason being that we could hear animals talking, like us. (at least it was mine for sure)
That was the time when we wanted to hear them and now, few of us are showing the barbarity towards them because they can’t talk!

We are witnessing these shameful acts for a long time and still waiting for the juncture that one day, things would change around us.
I still wonder at times, why the ruthlessness of humans is being compared to the savagery of animals? Because as of now, humans are less humane!

Recently, we heard the news of a pregnant elephant who died in Kerala because of eating a pineapple which had explosives inside.
People who were accused of feeding her had another angle of their tale. They explained that to protect their agricultural land from wild boars, they had planted those.
But the question that arises here is, who was at fault? The innocent animal or the rural people who did so for the protection of their only way of sustenance?
If the government of that state has allowed shooting the boars or killing them with any means, then how far it’s justified that the innocents get trapped unknowingly, get killed in the name of protection? Who will ensure their safety? We can’t just put an end to lives.

Laws aren’t just meant to be made, they need to be assessed well in the first place that how far their execution is going to be favourable to most of the beings.
Something similar had happened once to blue bulls (antelope) in Bihar. The government had the same reason to pass the order of killing them. 200 of them were killed.
We can’t just opt for the easy way out rather than making sensible decisions and then finding the ways in which we can protect all.

We have seen numerous incidents where humans have shown their heartlessness. Some of them are mentioned below-

Case of thrashing 20 stray dogs to death in Dehradun came out.

A Dog was beaten up brutally by a guard in Hyderabad.

In Himachal, miscreants blew off cow’s jaw with crackers.

It doesn’t end here, 49 people were arrested in Bareilly, U.P for illegal slaughtering of animals.

The list is endless but just hearing about the incidents is of no avail, it never was.

Many of us aren’t even aware of the laws that have been made for balancing the animal-humane society.
Here I am writing down six of them:

1. Under Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960, it is a criminal offence to feed toxic food to stray animals.
2. Sections 428 and 429 of the Indian Penal Code and the Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960 make it unlawful to maim or cause injury to any animal. It is also illegal for vehicles to intentionally injure dogs, cats and cows on the streets.
3. Stray dogs are safeguarded under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and rules enacted under Section 38 of the act, particularly, the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001; Indian Penal Code, sections 428 & 429 and Article 51A (g) of the Constitution.
4. It is the fundamental duty of every citizen of India to have compassion for all living creatures. Article 51A(g).
5. Animal sacrifice is forbidden in every part of the country and considered illegal. Rule 3, Slaughterhouse Rules, 2001.
6. Under Section 11(1)(i) and Section 11(1)(j), PCA Act, 1960, abandoning any animal for any reason can put you behind the bars for up to three months.