Human mindset determines animal welfare

Follow us:WhatsappFacebookTwitterTelegram.cls-1{fill:#4d4d4d;}.cls-2{fill:#fff;}Google News“Overlooking animal welfare would tantamount to overlooking human welfare,” said Maj Gen (retd) Dr R M Kherb, chairman of Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI).Addressing the press recently, a day after the AWBI’s annual general meeting, Dr Kherb added, “Although animal welfare in India has been part of its heritage, animal welfare organisations here are receiving recognition only of late.”While decrying the apathy to animals by civic bodies in general, Dr Kherb said that the AWBI was involved in training veterinarians and other doctors. He also dwelt on how the board was helping the promotion of self-sustainability in the 4,000-odd goshalas across the nation, by encouraging them to opt for biogas and bio-fertiliser production. “Researchers have affirmed the nutritional benefits of milk from the CA-2 category of cows, indigenous to our nation. While countries like Brazil, which imported our cows decades ago, have improved their production significantly, we still lag behind in this regard,” he added. He rued that cattle undergo maximum cruelty during slaughter. Dr Kherb said that the primary reason for the board’s successes lay in implementing the ban on training and exhibition of six species of animals.He lauded the efforts of the implementing agencies of the AWBI, such as the SPCA and NGOs, to sterilise dogs due to which four Indian cities — Chennai, Jaipur, Kalimpong and Gangtok — are rabies-free. “As many as 1.5 lakh dogs are being sterilised annually,” he said.On the AWBI’s challenges, he said that it is wrongly perceived as a law-enforcing agency; many police officials are unaware of the laws in which animal offenders can be prosecuted, and a general lack of sensitivity among the public towards animals. “Human mindset determines animal welfare; our society needs to be reminded of our peaceful co-existence with animals.”Office-bearers of the AWBI, including vice-president Chinny Krishna, and actor Amala Akkineni of the Hyderabad Blue Cross, were present.first published:September 15, 2012, 09:07 ISTlast updated:September 15, 2012, 09:07 IST 
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