NEW DELHI: After the Jallikattu ban, animals are in the news again. The government plans to ban the painting of bull horns, decking up camels with multi-coloured accessories and adoring elephants with ornaments and other paraphernalia to attract buyers and tourists.
The acts are deemed harmful for the animals. Training animals for dancing will also be outlawed. India hosts famous cattle fairs such as Sonepur Mela in Bihar, and Pushkar Mela in Rajasthan where thousands of livestock and a large number of foreign tourists arrive to participate.
The government is planning to introduce rules to ban activities that are harmful for animals. There is already a controversy going on regarding the holding of Jallikattu with the Supreme Court readying its final order on legality of the sport.
Animals being decorated, sheared, hot branded and cold branded for
identification and made to perform for entertainments of tourists has been criticised by rights activists over the years. But there are no rules to regulate such practices as they have become part of the culture. Now to prohibit such activities, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has prepared the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. The draft rules are ready with the Environment ministry and will soon be put out for seeking views.
The rules call for “prohibiting animal identification methods such as hot and cold branding. It also proposes to stop shearing and painting of horns and casting animals on hard ground without adequate bedding.” There is also provision for banning use of any chemicals or colours on body parts and forcing them to perform any unnatural acts. “Putting any ornaments or decorative materials on animals is also prohibited. Use of any type of muzzle to prevent animals from suckling or eating food and any person forcefully drenching any fluids or liquids, other than by a veterinarian for the purpose treatment is prohibited,” the draft rules states. The rules also regulate animal trade at livestock markets and put the onus on district authorities and the Animal Market Committee to ensure that animals are bought for agriculture purposes and not for slaughter.
“The purchaser shall not sell the animal for slaughter purpose and also not sacrifice the animal for any religious purpose,” the rules added. The new rules will check illegal trading and smuggling of cattle.