India had 1.713 crore stray dogs in 2012 and the fact that this statistic is 8 years old and
still the latest we have says much about the mentality of the Government and people in general. This
number would have grown naturally itself over the years and the corona pandemic worsens the situation.
People are abandoning their own pets let alone helping these stray animals in this pandemic. Animals
are abused across the country and world, whether in laboratories, farms, or pet shops; and the abuse
is often justified for human good. 19,028 animal cruelty cases in Mumbai over 5 years and not a
single arrest shows the need of spreading awareness about the laws in our country regarding this.
We at Techfest are working hard to spread awareness about this shoddy situation among the youth
of the nation, and with the Workshops under our initiative WeCare, we are confident that the future
of the animals in the country will be in secure hands. To educate yourself about the laws regarding
animal welfare in our country, do read them here. Further, we are urging the governments to take note
of this decades-old law and enforce stricter action against animal abusers by launching a petition for
the cause.
“Humanity's true moral test, its fundamental test…consists of its attitude towards those who are at
its mercy: animals.”
Though there are numerous laws to prevent cruelty against animals, they are not stringent enough to
impose fear in people of the consequences of doing such an act, nor strong enough enforcement practices
to prevent such acts. Currently, the Prevention of Cruelty on Animals, 1960 is safeguarding the cruelty
against animals. However, it has not been amended for the last 60 years and contains generation old rules
which provide a maximum fine of Rs. 100 for cruelty against animals, an amount which can’t even be used
to feed an animal for a day, let alone treat it. And the worst part about this is that this rule hasn’t
been changed even in clear cases of an increase in acts of cruelty against animals. Though, the first
crimes against animals in India were punished through the Indian Penal Code in 1860, under section 428 and
429. These sections only inadvertently protect the animal as they were originally designed to protect the
owner of an animal against any violence or killing of a valued animal priced at Rs. 10 and 50, which
represents the market value of the animal if they were traded at that time (when we were still ruled by
the British!). These sections belong to Chapter XVII of the IPC which covers offenses against the human
property giving animals the status of the property and are bare of any consequence if and when a person
performing such a cruel act was actually apprehended.
Through this petition, we aim to amend these generation old rules and laws and ensure an up
to date and proper penalty and judicial system to curb such immoral acts to ensure a safer future for
the animals in this country. Every signature of yours counts and gives voice to that animal who is
tortured or hurt or murdered.
We have organized workshops in 70+ schools speaking about and spreading awareness regarding animal welfare. We educated 5000+ students about the current situation and how we can take care of these animals through simple tasks that we can do even when staying at home due to the lockdown.
We helped these students build Bird Nesters using nothing but cardboard boxes available at home, hence bringing them closer to the amazing nature and taking a step forward to a brighter future. Even you can build a cardboard bird feeder by watching the video here!
We have also launched a petition urging the governments to change the ancient laws still in place today which don’t even place a slap on the wrist of horrendous animal abusers and acts of animal cruelty.
Click here to get more helpline numbers
These helpline services are courtesy of Voiceless India