Interdependence Among Animals & Role of Various Organisations in India

BY Bhumika Sharma.

Earth is home to a marvelous presence of animals. Due to the unexhausted resources, modern human beings had and still have the wherewithal to use nature and its resources for their benefits. But, human beings in the 20th century have highly altered the surroundings. The earth is warmer, sweeping winds, changing courses of rivers, etc., have become a norm. But the poor innocent animals couldn’t adapt to these changes as quickly as human beings themselves could. Human beings and animals are interdependent on each other. So when human beings adapt and assert their rights, it becomes necessary that human beings as superior beings take steps to protect their rights. For this, there are a number of NGOs in India that are working to provide a voice for voiceless animals. Their efforts are highly appreciated.

For the purpose of this article, the term “animal” has been used comprehensively. It encompasses terrestrials (including aves or birds) and aquatic animals. The present article intends to throw some light on the functions performed by statutory bodies and some of the NGOs for animal welfare and rights of the animals.

Hindu teachings teach ahimsa (non-violence). To kill an animal is regarded as a violation of ahimsa and causes bad karma, leading many Hindus to practice vegetarianism. Hindu teachings do not require vegetarianism, however, and animal sacrifice is practiced in some religious ceremonies. The promotion and protection of man as well as all plants and animals and environment is the philosophy of any such law from time to time in India. The Government of India has been taking proactive steps by establishing various statutory organizations for promotion and protection of animals. With the enactment of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in 1960, one of the first laws to protect animals was enforced and the cause of animal welfare was furthered. Many laws have been enacted from time to time.

To keep the law in force in India for the prevention of cruelty to animals, the Animal Welfare Board of India was established in New Delhi in 1962. To provide technical and financial assistance to such organisations, the 1960 law also provided for the setting up of the Animal Welfare Board of India to attain the noble visions for the animals.

Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) was established in Chennai in 1964. It sets guidelines for breeding and using animals in research. It regulates experiments on animals to avoid unnecessary pain before and after the experiments. It recommends against using a number of animals for statistical confidence and not using alternatives.

Project Tiger was launched in 1973. It was converted to a statutory body, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in New Delhi in 2006. It aims at protecting tigers and preserving the tiger reserves. It is a regulatory organization. Wildlife Crime Control Bureau in Delhi was established in 2007-08. To collect and collate intelligence related to organized wildlife crime activities and to disseminate the same to State and other enforcement agencies.

Established in 2003. To promote the conservation and development of wild life and forests. It is an advisory body.

Veterinary Council of India in New Delhi was established in 1989. To regulate veterinary practice in India. It is a regulatory body.

National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) in Chennai was established in 2003. To perform facilitative, regulatory and advisory functions for the Government of India on issues of conservation, sustainable use of biological resources and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of biological resources. It is a facilitative, regulatory and advisory body. State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at State and local level respectively.

Indians have always preached non-violence and compassion towards all sentient beings; even the many gods of India weren’t without an animal (Lord Krishna with a cow, Lord Shiva with a snake, Lord Vishnu with an eagle, etc.). Every house used to be a self-sustaining, animal protecting unit. There used to be no need for any ‘animal welfare organization’ as such. But, with inevitable change comes new times and tides. Today, animals in India are prime candidates for exploitation and easy targets for those who are fully aware that animals cannot fight back. Cows are starved and milked, chickens are slaughtered, and young and healthy animals are killed for leather; and monkeys and elephants are turned into show puppets and gawked upon. This list knows no bounds.

Human beings drive on to conquer the remotest parts of the globe, and populations make a quick leap causing the climate to change. This is posing problems for the animals in different ways. Realizing the need to protect and care for the fellow animals, both Government and private bodies have been working over the years. In light of this, and in spite of economical limitations and indifference of government bodies, a wave of promising animal welfare and rehabilitation organizations have made a big difference. Together with the various statutory bodies, a lot of private not-for-profit organizations have been working hand-in-hand to achieve equality & justice for the non-human animal.

Each moment of inaction further entrains irreversible trends. There is an exigency that human beings start accepting that each living being, including the small and tiny species of animals, is playing an active role in the ecological balance. They must be conserved for the future generations to come. As intellectual and aware human beings, the duty is to uphold the inherent rights of animals. There is a need to create awareness as well as sensitization relating to rights of the animals. Support must be extended to various statutory authorities and non-governmental organizations in their endeavor to protect the animals and provide them their rights. When each of the human beings start realizing that he is directly or indirectly interdependent with the animal only then he would take action to protect them. Human beings need to march towards a world in which humans and other species may be able to share peaceably the resources of a finite planet.