It is no hidden fact that ever since the prehistoric times, mankind has feared what it cannot understand. The fellow species have always scared the man and to overcome this fear, mankind resorted to violence against animals. The cases of animal abuse in India have been on a rise for past few years.
Every year, millions of animals are killed in India either for meat-consumption or in laboratories for medical experiments. Apart from that, thousands more are killed, maimed, or injured by people for some twisted reasons, one of them being – “it is fun.”
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Animal Cruelty in India
While cruelty against animals is a punishable crime under Section 428 and Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code, the incidents of animal cruelty in India have been escalating in the past decade. Every other day, news of some sort of cruel act against innocent animals can be heard or seen, breaking the heart into pieces.
Here are a few heartbreaking cases of animal abuse in India which will make you wonder how humanity is living on this planet.
Execution Of a Monkey, Telangana
In a disturbing incident of animal cruelty in India, the villagers killed a monkey by hanging the animal. Reportedly, several monkeys were raiding the teak plantation, fields, and houses in a Khammam village, Telangana, over the last few days. The villagers tried to chase the animals away. In a bid to “warn other monkeys”, the villagers caught one of the monkey’s and hung it from a tree.
A video of the June 26 incident has gone viral on Twitter (which was later removed), sparking outrage at the inhumane treatment of the animals, and the reason behind the crime.
The following video contains sensitive content, watch at your own discretion.
Leopard with Head and Paws Cut Off, Maharashtra
In a gut-wrenching incident, the carcass of a leopard was found on Wardha-Mandwa road in Maharashtra, with its head and paws cut off. The picture of the mutilated carcass of the leopard was posted on Twitter by IFS Parveen Kaswan.
Leopard’s carcass was found with its head and paws brutally severed | Image: Twitter @vijaypTOI
The police arrested four people from Waghdhar village with the possession of severed body parts of the animal. The inhumane act of cruelty was carried out of greed – as the nails, teeth, and other body part of the big cats are quite valuable in the market.
Leopard Electrocuted and Burned, Telangana
Five people were arrested for allegedly killing a leopard by electrocution and later burning the carcass in the Adilabad district in Telangana. After obtaining some evidence, the officials apprehended one person for possessing the claws of the leopard.
A leopard was electrocuted and later burned | Image: India Times
Upon interrogation, it was found that seven people laid the electrical wire to poach wild animals in a sorghum field. The electrical wire was laid at night and an electrocuted leopard was found near it in the morning. The fear of getting caught made the accused to burn the wild animal’s carcass after removing its claws and a tooth.
A case has been registered and five of the accused have been arrested. A hunt has been launched to nab two others who are reportedly absconding.
Firecracker-Filled Pineapple Killed Pregnant Elephant, Kerala
Recently, a firecracker-filled pineapple has killed a pregnant elephant in Kerala, which was allegedly placed by some heartless locals. The fruit exploded in the wild animal’s body and led to its death. The details of this horrific incident were narrated by a forest officer on social media.
Onlookers on banks of the Velliyar River in Palakkad district witnessing the dead pregnant elephant | Image: AFP
Evidently, pineapples filled with local firecrackers are usually used by local people to protect their fields from the wild boars. Be that as it may, the incident shook the entire nation, with demands of strict actions against the culprits behind this act of utmost inhumanity.
Pregnant Dog Beaten to Death, Bhubneshwar
A pregnant stray dog was brutally beaten up with a rod by a woman and a few others in Bhubneshwar. The dog succumbed to death, as did one of the two puppies that veterinarians had to pull out before time as the mother was in no condition to give birth.
A pregnant dog was beaten to death in Bhubneshwar | Image: Newsd
The dog succumbed to its injuries at Tarzoo Pet Care Hospital after eight days of treatment during which surgery was performed to revive it. During the surgery, the doctors had to bring out the two pups the dog was carrying. While one of them died within three hours, the other was battling for life.
Security Guards Try to Bury Street Dog Alive, Gurgaon
In another horrendous act of animal cruelty in India, a group of security guards of an upscale apartment complex in Gurgaon’s sector-49 was caught trying to bury a stray dog after brutally assaulting it with batons. The incident was reported after some local residents rescued the dog from the dug-up pit. The dog had sustained fractures on its legs and head and was taken to a nearby veterinary hospital.
A street dog was beaten by security guards | Image: Twitter @rachnagaur_
Reportedly, the street dog had strayed into Uniworld Garden-II, the apartment complex. The private security guards tried to keep it out of the premises but failed. The supervisor apparently directed the guards to beat the dog with batons. The entire incident was captured on the CCTV cameras where the guards were visibly charging batons at the animal.
Tied to Vehicle, Dog Dragged to Death, Mumbai
In a heart-wrenching incident of animal cruelty, someone tied a stray dog to a vehicle and dragged it to death in Mumbai. The dog’s body was recovered near the ONGC colony at Bandra-Kurla Complex on Saturday morning. Meanwhile, the BKC police station has registered a case against an unidentified person in connection with the case.
Representative Image: Mumbai Live
Reportedly, the dog’s front legs were tied with a cloth. A local journalist spotted the dog’s body, which was apparently dragged to a distance after its limbs were tied to a vehicle. The animal’s body was found on the road, with its eyes popping out and blood oozing out from the body.
Jackal Killed with Meat-Wrapped Explosives, Tamil Nadu
In a horrendous incident, a gang of 12 Narikuravars, an indigenous community from India state of Tamil Nadu, were arrested by the forest department for killing a jackal using meat wrapped explosives.
Jackal was killed using explosive-filled meat | Image: India Today
Reportedly, the jackal died as the explosive-filled meat ripped its jaws upon eating. The miscreant killed the animal for its meat and teeth.
50 Strays Poisoned, Telangana
The cruelty of mankind knows no bounds. In a shocking case of animal cruelty, around 50 stray dogs were poisoned in Telladevarapalli village in the Nalgonda district of Telangana. Authorities in Telangana’s Nalgonda district are probing this incident in which 50 dogs were poisoned allegedly on the orders of the village head.
Representative Image: Times of India
The practice of killing stray dogs spreads across cities in India. According to an IANS, this incident from Telangana came to light after the village chief ordered the poisoning of 50 strays. Village sarpanch Papa Nayak had reportedly ordered the poisoning of dogs after locals complained about the dog menace. He had also received complaints of the street dogs attacking some people.
Mutilated Pregnant Cow, Himachal Pradesh
A pregnant cow in Himachal Pradesh was made to consume a firecracker-filled in a wheat flour ball that blew its jaw off. The cow owner released a video, accusing his neighbor of being responsible for the injuries to the pregnant cow. A man was arrested in Bilaspur district on an allegation by the owner of the pregnant cow that he deliberately injured the animal by feeding it some eatables mixed with explosives.
Cow owner dejected at the inhumane act of his neighbour
A first information report was registered under sections – 286, 429 – of the Indian Penal Code, pertaining to mischief by maiming cattle and Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. An arrest was made after the video footage by cow owner went viral on social media platforms.
What needs to be done?
The first reason for such inhumane acts is the feeling of power over other beings. Apart from that, greed and violence are amongst other reasons. Nobody cares about what happens to animals, as long as humans are living their lives blissfully.
The first step towards stopping such acts of cruelty against animals is educating children to have respect for animals and treat them with kindness. Food and shelter should be provided to street dogs in the form of government shelters, which apparently do not care for strays much, registered firms and NGOs to assure their safety.
Moreover, there is a need to have stricter laws for the protection of animals and their effective implementation is also a must. Reports of animal cruelty are needed to be taken seriously.
Stray and wounded animals put into animal shelters are not safer than the ones roaming in the wild. Frequent raids should be conducted against people operating under the guise of shelter providers or “rescuers.” These hoarders often fail to provide for the physical and social needs of these animals, including food, water, veterinary care and sanitary living conditions.
Apart from the human-animal conflicts, the cases of intentional cruelty have increased in the past years. Animals and other fellow species are not seen as a part of the planet by most of the human population.
Strict Laws Required
The rules and laws against the ill-treatment of animals are barely followed. The cruelty against animals is a punishable crime under Section 428 and Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code. However, the rules and laws are not being followed, and incidents of animal cruelty in India are escalating by the day.
The greed of people for money leads them to sell body parts of animals for their personal gains. The understanding of the value of life and emotional attitude towards animals is necessary.
Organisations such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which are working for animal rights, can achieve a lot if they receive help from local organisations and the public in general.
Animals roaming on the streets is a common sight in India. Amongst them, pets are given special care by their owners while the stray animals are ignored by all and often ill-treated. It is essential that humans understand the value of all life, and treat the strays and pets alike.
Thousands of animals are killed every year for human consumption and in laboratories for medical researches, while most of the animals are kept under observation for testing of cosmetic products, medicines and many more. The government must take strict action towards people who are charged guilty of cruelty against animals.
Regular Monitoring of Population
To keep a check on brutal treatment against animals, it is crucial to regularly monitor the population of street animals. The highly growing population of animals in urban areas may lead to insecurity amongst people and cause resistance in the busy life of people.
All these circumstances give rise to cruel and barbaric treatment against animals. By regular monitoring and supervising particular areas, society can contribute to protecting animals from cruelty.
In extreme cases of animal cruelty, it becomes the responsibility of the witness to call animal services agency. Animal abuse can only be stopped if people obey the laws and protect the animals.
Keeping Unauthorized Killing in Check
Measures to control cruel and brutal acts against the animals mostly depend on people and how they view other life forms. The unauthorized killing of the animals is needed to keep under check.
There must be proper checks by the police that the movement is duly authorized. Moreover, in such cases, animals are cruelly treated to board the vehicles. The transporter must be kind to the animals, board them properly and drive the vehicle smoothly on the road to reach the destination. The unkind drivers should be heavily fined including confiscation of their vehicles.
All Lives Matter
What is even sadder than the brutal killing of the animals, is the fact that how differently those deaths stir the emotion in mankind. In India, particularly, the size or the religious significance of the animal matter more than life itself.
For instance, if an elephant, bigger in size and quite noticeable, is killed, people are outraged. The same goes for cows, owing to their religious significance, the killings of cows receive the same outraged reaction from the public. In fact, many people have been mob-lynched even if they are merely suspected of killing a cow. But if a jackal or a monkey is killed barbarically, nobody cares.
Heart-wrenching acts of animal cruelty incidents in India
It is surprising and sad how differently humans treat animals. The size and the religious importance of the animal should not matter because all lives are equal and important.
Unless people are ready to accept and respect the wildlife as equals, barbaric episodes of animal cruelty in India are unlikely to stop.