EDITORIAL: Many, if not most, people lack sympathy for animals, making them suffer in silence. Cruelty to animals in this country, particularly to donkeys and dogs, is widespread.
Donkeys, generally in poor physical condition, are seen across rural and urban areas pulling carts loaded with farm products, household items or tons of construction material far beyond their weight-bearing capacity.
Livestock and other domesticated animals are kept tethered with hardly any room for freedom of movement. Stray dogs have a miserable existence emaciated as they are from hunger or disease and attacked by people.
Children instinctively pick up rocks at the sight of a stray dog to hurl at them. No one seems to be concerned about the plight of parrots that in the wild live in groups and fly several kilometers a day, but are confined to cages in many homes for pleasure, malnourished and enduring a life of loneliness and stress.
We have an antiquated colonial era Animal Rights Act of 1890, which has little or no relevance today, and hence remains forgotten and abandoned.
In a first important step towards animal welfare the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has enacted a comprehensive law to stop various forms of cruelty to animals. As per this law, overburdening or harming animals will lead to three months of imprisonment or a Rs 50,000 fine.
Repeat offenders are to face double that amount of sentence and fine. Also, those organizing animal or bird fights will be handed three-month imprisonment. Owners hiding information related to animal rights violations will be fined Rs 10,000 or up to three months imprisonment. Penalties will also apply to inadequate living conditions for animals, unlicensed veterinary practices and’ unnecessary’ experiments.
All such cases will be heard by a first-class judicial magistrate. The law also mandates comfortable transportation of animals.
A welfare committee headed by Director Livestock and Dairy Development is to be formed to ensure animals are protected from cruel practices, and advise local administrations and slaughter houses about easing animal suffering.
Included in the committee’s responsibilities is to control stray dog population (hopefully, by sterilizing rather than poisoning them as has been the case in numerous instances), provide financial assistance to animal rehabilitation centres and veterinary hospitals as well as raising awareness regarding animal rights. It would also help to include animal welfare in school curriculums.
The law seems to have covered almost all issues of concern to individuals and organizations seeking compassionate treatment of animals. Other provinces need to replicate it. However, good laws alone have not will not do. Success depends on how determined is the government to ensure effective public compliance.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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