Youth Incorporated Magazine

India’s first animal cruelty prevention law was introduced in 1960. It stated that instances like beating, kicking and over-loading were deemed punishable by law, and there was a fine of Rs. 50 imposed for the same. The law has not been changed since then. The value of the fine imposed will not teach the offender a lesson and much less prevent it from happening again. 

The entire country was outraged at the incident that occurred earlier this year in Kerala where two elephants were killed after consuming fruits that contained explosives in them. This practise is done to keep out animals from farms in Kerala. 

A pregnant cow from Himachal Pradesh and a jackal from Tamil Nadu met with a similar tragedy. Another instance of animal cruelty that surfaced was in June 2020, when it was announced that vaccine trials for COVID-19 will be done on monkeys. There have also been instances where sadistic people have performed these terrible acts of animal cruelty on social media platforms to gain popularity. Much worse, these instances have barely scratched the surface. Thousands of cases like these go unnoticed and are not reported. 

Even big organizations like SeaWorld use unethical methods and are cruel to the sea animals they capture. Reports stated that they drug whales and force them to breed. Animals like dolphins and whales are trapped in small pools as opposed to the sea, where they have boundless freedom. This hurts them physically and emotionally. They are forced to endure the rest of their lives in captivity. PETA has staged several protests against SeaWorld and July 24 was announced as Boycott SeaWorld” Day. 

Animal abuse can further lead to negative, long lasting physiological and psychological  effects. We may not realise it at first but even neglecting animals is a form of abuse. Before deciding to have a pet, one must make sure they can provide for them and give them the love and attention they need and deserve. It is basically the inability to provide for the animal in terms of food, shelter and medical care. Animal neglect is actually very common and usually thousands of dogs are subjected to it. 

Animals subjected to cruelty or neglect often show signs. You should learn to recognize them. 

An animal suffering from cruelty will often have open, untreated wounds or marks on their neck. You will be able to see their bones through their skin. They will seem lethargic due to the lack of food and water given to them. Abused animals tend to be extremely aggressive or shy. If you notice any of these signs, local authorities setup for animal welfare should be contacted. 

We must raise our voice and demand stricter laws to protect animals. Various NGOs have been set up specifically to help animals. If you are really fond of animals, you could join them and volunteer to rescue them. Even donating to them is a good place to start. Furthermore, you can avoid entertainment centers that use animals for entertainment. Usually in such places, animals are treated badly. Methods used are unethical and harmful. By not going and not spending money on them, the demand will eventually decrease. Speciesism is also the cause of animal cruelty. 

Humans simply think that they are better than animals. Animals are just fellow beings who live with us on the same planet. Acres of land that was once their home has been taken over by us. They deserve love and protection too. It is wrong to inflict suffering on a living being. We need to act more compassionate towards them and make sure we don’t add on their suffering. Animal cruelty is preventive and unnecessary.