Andhra Pradesh Police Join Hands With PETA India in Efforts to Save Camels From Slaughter
Upon learning that a camel was slated to be slaughtered for meat in Anantapur, as confirmed by leaflets distributed in the town of Gooty stating camel meat would be available on 16 January, PETA India, along with Andhra Pradesh Animal Welfare Board (APAWB) member Md Idrees, the Anantapur superintendent of police, and Gooty Police Station, sprang into action to prevent the camel from being killed. A first information report (FIR) was registered under sections 11 and 26 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960. The camel was rescued in the nick of time by the police and moved to a local gaushala for safekeeping, after which the accused owner surrendered the camel. Meet Ashar of PETA India, Md Idrees, and local animal protection activist Chaitanya Rajasekhar then worked together to find the camel a permanent place at a reputable sanctuary for rehabilitation.
Meanwhile, in a similar incident in Kurnool, a banner advertising the availability of camel meat on 2 February was erected opposite Osmania College. PETA India worked with Md Idrees once again and local animal protection activist Shaik Abdul Sharuk to prevent the slaughter of camels. PETA India approached the superintendent of police, Kurnool, and Town 1 Police Station to get an FIR registered against the perpetrators for planning to slaughter camels for meat. The Town 1 Police Station has registered an FIR under sections 109, 429, 289, and 269 read with 511 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860; sections 11(1) and 38(3) of the PCA Act, 1960, read with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001; and Section 5 of the Rajasthan Camel (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 2015, against two persons accused of being involved in the trade. Efforts are underway to trace the whereabouts of the camels to facilitate their rescue.
The Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, state that only sheep, pigs, cattle, goats, poultry, fish, and rabbits are permitted to be killed for meat, not camels. In addition, under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001, and the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, the slaughter of animals for food is permissible only in registered or licensed slaughterhouses equipped with species-specific stunning methods for rendering animals unconscious before killing them.
