Ahead of Bakrid, PETA India Asks States to Enforce Laws Prohibiting Animal Sacrifices
PETA India sent a letter to the Chief Secretaries, the Directors General of Police, and the Directors of Animal Husbandry of state governments and union territories across India, as well as to Commissioners of Municipal Corporations of metro cities, requesting that they take all possible precautionary measures to stop the illegal transport and killing of animals in the lead-up to Bakrid, as was also advised by the Animal Welfare Board of India in its 15 July circular.
In its letter, PETA India pointed out that – through orders dated 17 February 2017 and 10 April 2017 on two matters regarding the sacrifice and killing of animals for meat – the Supreme Court of India ruled that animals can be slaughtered only in officially licenced slaughterhouses and that municipal authorities must ensure compliance with this ruling. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001, and the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, permit the slaughter of animals for food only in registered or licenced slaughterhouses equipped with species-specific stunning equipment. The Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, also prohibit killing camels for meat, a prevalent practice during Bakrid. And the Transport of Animals Rules, 1978, establishes regulations that are also frequently violated during this festival.
Goats, buffaloes, camels, and other animals are killed during festivals such as Bakrid and Durga Puja. Common illegal practices during these holidays include cramming animals into severely crowded trucks – which routinely causes suffocation and broken bones – marching animals to the place of sacrifice, and breaking their tails and beating them to keep them moving. Then, they’re slaughtered by untrained workers who slit their throats with dull knives in full view of one another and often in front of traumatised and upset children who desire to protect the animals from harm.
Here’s What You Can Do About Animal Sacrifice:
