The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 ensures that all animals are treated with compassion and dignity and are not meted out with unspeakable cruelty. While transporting animals, the top most priority shall be the animal’s well being and health. This varies from species to species and should essentially be thought of prior to movement. The mode of transport shall be duly identified and a reconnaissance shall be done well in advance and preparations accordingly made. It is mandatory for the driver or the team undertaking the transportation to familiarise themselves with the route that will be taken while transporting the animals. Stops in between should be pre-planned and identified well in advance to minimize the time of transport. The cages, if any, should be kept in the vehicle in such a way that animal always faces the direction in which the vehicle is moving.
According to the Transport of Animals Rules, 1978, cattle transported by rail or road must be accompanied by a veterinary certificate that they are fit to travel and by first-aid equipment. Average space per animal should not be less than 2 square metres and ropes and platforms should be used for loading. They should be properly fed and given water first. Other provisions of the Transport of Animal Rules ensures water and food should be made available for the whole journey. When cattle are transported by rail, there is a maximum number allowed in each wagon and each wagon should have at least one attendant. There should be padding on the floor and adequate ventilation. When cattle are transported by road, specially fitted goods vehicles should be used or ordinary vehicles should be provided with anti-slipping material, and there should be an attendant. No more than six cattle can be carried in one vehicle.
Transport of Animals (Amendment) Rules, 2001 state that a valid certificate issued by an officer or any person or Animal Welfare Organisation authorized by the AWBI or Central Government needs to be obtained before transporting an animal to ensure that all relevant requirements have been met. If these conditions are not met, any permit will be cancelled and the police must stop further transport. The animals will be given to the authorized Animal Welfare Organisation if available until further decisions are made by the authorities.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Transport of Animals on Foot) Rules, 2001 apply to transport of animals on foot when the distance from the boundary of village or town or city of the origin of such transport to the last destination is 5 km or more than 5 km. The rules state that every animal must be healthy and in good condition and a veterinary certificate is needed for each animal. Veterinary first aid equipment must also be provided for the journey. Newborn animals, diseased, blind, emaciated, lame, fatigued animals, and animals that have given birth during the preceding 72 hours or likely to give birth during transport should not be transported on foot.
Arrangements should be made for watering and feeding the animals during transport. Nobody is allowed to use whips, sticks, etc., or apply any substance on their bodies to make the animals walk faster. If an animal has to be tied, a cushioned rope should be used. If two animals are tied together (more than two animals cannot be tied together) the space between them should be at least two feet. Furthermore, Animals cannot be transported before sunrise or after sunset. Limits have also been set for transport on foot. Animals should not be made to walk in adverse weather conditions such as heavy rain, thunderstorms, and extremely dry or sultry conditions.
According to Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty against Animals Act, 1960 transporting of any animal in any manner that will cause him/her needless sufferings is prohibited. This includes loading of cows into trucks without ramps, forcing animals to travel long distances on feet, overcrowding animals in a vehicle as well as tying pigs around a scooter or a cycle.
The eleventh amendment to rules under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 deals specifically with the transportation of livestock meant for slaughter and seek to curb their mistreatment. Vehicles meant for transporting livestock are to be permanently partitioned to allow individual carriage of animals and prevent overloading. The amendment further specifies that the size of partitions should not be less than 2 sq. m for cows and buffaloes, 2.25 sq. m for horses and mares, 0.3 sq. m for sheep and goats, 0.6 sq. m for pigs and 40 sq. cm for poultry. Vehicles without special licences issued by the regional transport officer will not be allowed to ply on roads. The circular also notifies that vehicles meant for carrying livestock will not be permitted to carry any other cargo. This rule come four years after the Food Safety Act, 2011, which laid down conditions under which animals meant for consumption were to be kept and transported. The Act had also noted that unnecessary stress during transportation affects the quality of meat, apart from being inhuman. The chances of animals contracting infections and diseases increase during periods of long travel in highly constrained spaces.
1Jinu Manoj, 2Indu Panchal, and 3Manoj Kumar Singh
1College Central Laboratory, LUVAS, Hisar, Haryana
2College of Dairy Sciences, LUVAS, Hisar, Haryana
3College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, SVPUAT, Meerut, U.P.
