In the year 2000, Jackie Chan, Hong Kong’s ambassador for tourism was dismayed and saddened by the well documented torture of millions of Indian cattle, who were killed for meat and leather export. In deep anguish he shot off a letter to the Indian Prime-minister urging him to fight the widespread corruption and illegal practices that permeate the cruel transport and slaughter. The Indian prime minister promised remedial action. But nothing has changed since.
The cows, bullocks and calves are transported from remote places in India in the dead of the night. The animals are racked with pain and filled with fear and often have to endure a long journey without food and water. The collapsing animals are savagely beaten, have chilly and pepper rubbed into the their eyes, their tails are broken and some have their horns broken without the use of anesthesia.
Enshrined in the Indian constitution are the rights for cattle. It prohibits cruelty to cattle but the government simple looks the other way.
The problem of illegal abattoirs:
According to some estimates there are more than 800 illegal slaughter shops in Mumbai, where illegal slaughter goes unchallenged. These shops are concealed in marketplaces and there is no animal welfare regulation, no adequate water supply and poor drainage.
There is no proper animal waste disposal. The waste is simply dumped into the sewer system and putrefaction results and poisonous gases are released. The whole sewer system is a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode one day. In addition the organic waste can breed bacterial and viruses and it can spread infectious diseases. In fact there is no proper waste removal system at the Deonar Abattoir, which is Mumbai’s biggest facility.
At a recent press meeting the members of PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, accused the municipality for turning a blind eye to the burning problem. In the past year, PETA representatives have made several unannounced visits to Deonar, but the shocking inhumane conditions still persist and nothing seems to have changed. The PETA officials repeatedly caught officials lying about animal welfare measures. The slaughtering facilities are in violation of both Indian and Muslim law.
How can we make a change?
The Leather industry In India employs 2.5 million persons. A large part (nearly 60-65%) of the production is in the small/cottage sector. The annual export value poised to touch about 2 billion US dollars. India is endowed with 10% of the world raw material in terms of leather hide and export constitutes about 2% of the world trade. This sector has enormous potential for future growth.
Hidden within the statistics lie the solution to the problem of cruelty to animals. The Indian government must step in and must monitor animal transportation and implement international slaughter norms. The leather industry on its part must wake up because it can be shut down if the major importers clam down on Indian leather products on the grounds of cruelty to animals.
Finally, we can make the biggest difference. We have to be actively compassionate to animals
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