Be Kind to Animals

Simple guide for Animal Owners’

Animal owners be it domestic livestock, poultry or companion dogs and other pet animals, should have a fair knowledge about their natural habitat to get better and healthier relationship. Animals of any kind have their own beauty and benefit human kind either in the form of providing meat, milk, eggs and animal-human relationship. Most important is the joy of their companionship, a kind hearted person can never refuse to notice the kind of solace he gets from the animals around him. The joys of working with the animals are endless, feed them, clean them, touch them and make them comfortable, the unseen blessings are abundant. Animals are created for different purpose so as long as they are with us treat them well.

Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act 1960 is an Act which needs to be refreshed among animal owner from time to time to get good responds and better performance.  

Cruelty to Animals generally includes the followings and should be strictly avoided:

If any person:

a) Beats, kicks, over-rides, over-drives, over-load, tortures or otherwise treats any animal so as to subject it to unnecessary pain / cause suffering or, being the owner, permits any animal to be so treated; or

b) Employs in any work or labour any animal which, by reason of any disease, infirmity, wound, sore or other cause, is unfit to be so employed, or being the owner, permits any such unfit animal to be so employed;

c) Willfully and unreasonably administers any injurious drugs or injurious substance to any domestic or captive animal or willfully and unreasonably causes or attempts to causes any such drug or substance to be taken by any domestic or captive animal;

d) Conveys or carries, whether in or upon any vehicle or not, any animal in such a manner or position as to subject it to unnecessary pain or suffering;

e) Keeps or confines any animal in any cage or other receptacle which does not measure sufficiently in height, length and breadth to permit the animal a reasonable opportunity for movement;

f) Keeps for unreasonable time any animal chained or tethered upon an unreasonable short or unreasonable heavy chain or cord;

g) Being the owner, neglects to exercise or cause to be exercise reasonably any dog habitually chained up or kept in close confinement;

h) Being the owner of any captive animal, fails to provide such animal with sufficient food, drink or shelter;

i) Without reasonable cause, abandons any animal in circumstances which render it likely that it will suffer pain by reason of starvation or thirst;

j) Willfully permits any animal, of which he is the owner, to go at large in any street while the animal is affected with contagious or infectious disease or without reasonable excuse permit any diseased or disabled animal, of which he is the owner, to die in any street;

k) Offer for sale or, without reasonable cause, has in his possession any animal which is suffering pain by reason of mutilation, starvation, thirst, overcrowding or other ill-treatment;

l) Needlessly mutilates any animal or kills any animal in an unnecessary cruel manner;

m) Confines or causes to be confined any animal in such a manner as to make it an object of prey for any other animal solely with a view to providing entertainment for other person;

n) For the purpose of his business, organises, keeps, uses or acts in the management of, any place for animal fighting or for the purpose of baiting any animal or permits or offers any place to be so used or receives money for the admission of any other person to any place kept or used for any such purpose;

o) Promotes or takes part in any shooting match or competition wherein animals are released from captivity for the purpose of such shooting;

Any of the above action is punishable, in the case of first offence, with fine which may extend to fifty rupees, and, in the case of second or subsequent offence committed within three years of the previous offence, with fine which may extend to one hundred rupees, or imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months, or with both.

The above offences are guided by a Central Act “Prevention of cruelty to Animals Act 1960” which is in force in all the states of the country. Some of the above offences may be habituated / accustomed truths which need to be reviewed, improve upon and change over it to rebuild a wholesome attitude towards the animals around us. Let the following code from an unknown author steer our inner feelings, be more compassionate and humane towards the Animal World for a better tomorrow:

“Unseen they suffer, unheard they cry, in agony they linger, in silence they die, is it nothing to you, all ye who pass by”

Dr. M. Catherine Rutsa,
Associate Professor,
Livestock Production
Management, NU-SASRD,
Medziphema Campus.