In Past 10 Yrs India Saw Nearly 5 Lakh Cases Of Animal Cruelty, Unreported Could Be Much Higher

There is no limit to what we humans can do to animals, sometimes for no apparent reason. The number of cases of animal cruelty is on the rise in India and it is a matter of concern.

According to a report compiled by the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) and All Creatures Great and Small (ACGS), between 2010-2020, a total of 4,93,910 animals were victims of crimes committed by humans.

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Grim readings

These include 720 cases of crime against street animals, 741 cases against working animals, 588 cases against companion animals, 88 cases against farm animals, and 258 cases against wild animals and birds. These were gruesome and intentional acts of violence that led to the animal¡¯s death or an irreparable harm.

The report titled, 'In Their Own Right ¨C Calling for Parity in Law for Animal Victims of Crimes', is the first of its kind documentation of cruelties humans have inflicted on animals.

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The range of crimes humans have committed include rape, murder, kicking, beating, attacking with sticks and stones.

Gruesome acts of violence

The report said that they have documented 720 cases of crime against street animals, 741 cases against working animals, 588 cases against companion animals, 88 cases against farm animals, and 258 cases against wild animals and birds. These were gruesome and intentional acts of violence that led to the animal¡¯s death or an irreparable harm.

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Some of the gruesome crimes against animals that were recorded include cases of a dog raped with a screwdriver in Goa, a langur hung and beaten to death in Telangana, and a street dog beaten, tied to a scooter and then thrown off the second floor of a building in Ludhiana.

Of the 1,000 assault cases that were documented, 82 cases were of sexual abuse, 266 cases of cold blooded murder, and over 400 cases were of violent attacks of beating, kicking, torturing, throwing acid or boiling water, maiming a part of the body, attacking with a knife or a blunt object.

Assaults by children too

What is further horrifying is that 20 of these documented cases were of assault by children. According to the report, year 2019 saw the highest number of cases of crimes against animals (700 cases). Additionally, almost 4,230 dogs have been killed by mass culling drives across the country in the past five years alone.

According to their findings, street animals, including stray dogs are one of the biggest victims of animal abuse, which include mass culling.

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"We have documented cases of mass killing of street animals from the following 21 states: Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Our data reveals varied methods of killing: animals being buried alive, beaten to death, burned alive, poisoned, injected with chemicals, shot, strangled with ropes and barbed wires, suffocated, stoned and left to die with their mouths and limbs tied," it said.

The report also documented how working animals and pets are also on the receiving end of cruelties inflicted by humans.

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¡°The cases that we documented in this report revealed horrors of violence against animals, and yet these are only the tip of the iceberg ¨C most cases are never reported. Because they are animals, people tend to underplay the violence by calling it cruelty. But it¡¯s more than cruelty. It¡¯s physical abuse; it¡¯s psychological abuse; it¡¯s rape; it¡¯s murder. Severe crimes against animals must be treated as felony,¡± Varda Mehrotra, Executive Director, FIAPO said.

Based on the documentation so far, the report estimates that an average of 5 animals dies every day. But because of lack of reporting, the actual figures could be at least 10 times higher, which means 50 animal deaths every day ¨C amounting to at least 2 animals being killed every hour in India. This does not include animal deaths in slaughterhouses, zoos, laboratories, and deaths by accidents or human negligence.

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Citing the findings of their report, FIAPO and ACGS have appealed to the government for the setting up a dedicated ministry to oversee aspects of animal welfare, protection and rights as the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) being under the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries is a clear conflict of interest.

The report also argues for a public record of crimes against animals to be published by the National Crimes Records Bureau (NCRB). Additionally, the report recommends that crimes against animals must be appropriately graded, and punishment must be provided for them according to the severity of the crime.