Sri Lanka needs a National Animal Welfare Board
Posted on July 15th, 2011
Senaka Weeraratna
It should be modellled on theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI)
For more information, please see below
The Animal Welfare Fortnight, 2011 will be celebrated throughout the country from 14th January, 2011 to 31st January, 2011. In this regard I am directed to inform you that the Animal Welfare Fortnight 2011 shall be celebrated so that the animal welfare issues are highlighted and addressed and more and more people are motivated to join the Animal Welfare Movement.
The following activities are suggested to the AWOs / concerned people for implementation during the Animal Welfare Fortnight:
a. To start training for Goshala personnel to utilise full potential of cow dung and urine for production of bio-gas, vermicompost, bio-pesticides, organic soaps, agarbattis and panchgavya medicines towards self sustenance and generate employment.
b. To arrange Animal Birth Control (ABC)/Anti Rabies (AR) programme in your town for controlling of stray dog population and rabies to interact with the local bodies for support and co-ordination to make ABC/AR project a grand success.
c. To rescue sick animals in your locality, take them to a Veterinary Doctor. To announce a campaign called adopt a homeless pet and set the first example by taking a pet (stray dog/cat) from the streets to your own home to achieve the goal of not having ownerless animals.
d. To start an animal shelter or goshala and get a Veterinary Doctor to treat the animals. To feed and look after them and try and provide them homes.
e. To make copies of the animal laws pamphlet: translate it into the local language and then give it to the Police and enforcing authorities and to as many people so that awareness about Animal Welfare laws is spread over. To organise a Police Training Camp on the occasion by getting a police officer and a lawyer to address all the SHOs of the city on the animal protection laws.
f. To give grain and water to the birds. Distribute earthen bowls in various neighborhoods so that people are encouraged to put out food and water to the birds.
g. To teach people basic vet. first aid. Hold a first aid class and show children what to do when they come across an animal in trouble.
h. To plant large numbers of bird friendly trees like jamun, neem, shehtoot, bargat, peepal, semal so that birds have some place to eat and nest in.
i. To start an anti-plastic bag campaign and ask people not to throw away edible leftovers tied up in plastic bags as many animals, including cows, eat the plastic bags and die. To see if any private company can sponsor small cloth bags which can be distributed free in markets.
j. There are many horses and donkeys that need medical help. To organise a treatment camp where a majority of the animals operate. To offer food and medicine for the animals turn this into a regular weekly or fortnightly exercise.
k. It is important to ensure that schools be advised to avoid dissection of animals. There are alternatives to dissection in the form of Compufrog/Compurat (IBM/PC) : Computer programmes of frog, rat, earthworm, cockroach and pigeon that detail the cardio-pulmonary, digestive, urogenital, nervous, and structural systems. For more details about the alternatives to dissection advise the Principals to contact AWBI Secretary.
l. Milkmen misuse ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-OxytocinƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ injections for drawing milk from cattle. It is illegal under the Food and Drug Adulteration Prevention Act. Launch an anti-oxytocin drive. To bring to the notice of concerned authorities about any violation of the Rules.
m. To organize First-Aid camps to sick and injured animals on the roadside and various other places.
n. To arrange for feeding of stray animals.
o. To arrange visit to slaughter houses in your area and educate the butchers on humane slaughter and create awareness of Slaughter House Rules to the personnel.
p. Prevent introduction of children in the slaughter house jobs at very tender age.
q. To Enroll yourself and your friends to become subscribers to the journals ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Animal CitizenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Jeev SarthyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-AWBI NewsletterƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ if you have not enrolled, yet. We do hope that the Animal Welfare Fortnight Celebrations in Jan. 2011 will be done in a way to create more awareness of Animal Welfare issues to the general public, enforcing authorities and all concerned people. We request you to please send us reports/photos news items etc. for our reference and use it in our publications.
Kindly acknowledge receipt of this letter.
Thanking you,
Asst. Secretary
July 15th, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Senaka, excellent article. may I suggest the following: BAN Cattle slaughtering in Sri Lanka. Import all the Beef required from India and Pakistan. Many Buddhists and some Christians support my suggestion. I live in USA and do not have any contact with politicians. Don’t stop here go and open up a debate on the subject. What happend to Rathana thero of JHU? He was a lead person on this subject some time ago.
July 19th, 2011 at 7:18 pm
Kit Athul has got it wrong. An Animal Welfare Board for Sri Lanka is a must. But stopping cattle slaughter here and importing beef from India and Pakistan, or anywhere violates the principle of compassion, animal welfare and rights under which you want cattle slaughter banned in Sri Lanka. The same compassion should extend to cattle in India, Pakistan and all other countries. Before leaping to the ideal of a ban on cattle slaughter in Sri Lanka, why not first ensure that slaughter, when carried out is done in the most humane, internationally recognized manner? That could be a beginning. As for Rathana Thera it must be noted that he is a politician, as fickle as all others. A debate must open up. But it will help very much if other members of the Maha Sangha play a lead role in it, especially in this year of the Sambudhattva Jayanthi. Ironically, a Draft Bill on Animal Welfare has been submitted to Cabinet nearly two years ago, which provides for an Animal Welfare Board, remains blocked in a country with a parliament that has an overwhelming majoirity of Buddhists and Hindus who are against cattle slaughter. The campaign must be to enact this Bill.