Believe it or not, the number is 25
Believe it or not, the number is 25 Treated like an animal would be a huge understatement to describe the way in which animals for slaughter are transported to Delhi from neighbouring states.
Sample this.
A mini truck carrying more than 25 buffaloes was intercepted at Delhi-Haryana border near Gurgaon by the police and a team of NGO People for Animals (PFA) on April 29.
The next day, cops and animal activists caught two trucks that carried more than 430 goats and 245 sheep each at Anand Parbat in central Delhi.
Stuffed: A Tata 407 mini truck intercepted near Gurgaon was carrying
more than 25 buffaloes stuffed inside the vehicle Apart from Delhi, the animals were being taken to an Uttar Pradesh abattoir.
"We got a tip-off that animals, cruelly stuffed in trucks, would be brought to the city for slaughter. We informed the police and were able to nab the offenders," Saurabh Gupta, a wildlife officer associated with PFA told MiD DAY.
"The animals were in a pathetic state. Most of them were gasping for breath, were bruised and were not able to stand properly. As many as 10 buffaloes were found dead," said Gupta.
Six people, all truck drivers, have been arrested and booked under the Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals Act. The animals have been taken to Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care Centre for treatment.
"We have seized three trucks, which were carrying animals illegally for slaughter. The drivers have been arrested and we are further investigating the case," a police officer attached to the Anand Parbat police station said.u00a0
Gupta claimed a lot of vehicles carry animals illegally across Delhi from Haryana and Rajasthan. "According to the rules laid down for the slaughter of animals for meat, the maximum number of animals that can be butchered in Delhi is 2,500. However, more than three lakh animals are slaughtered in the city daily in complete violation of the rules."
Moreover, the animals are carried across states in the cruellest manner, he added.
A police official, requesting anonymity, said in most of the cases the police could arrest drivers only. "Even they get bail easily from the court by paying a meagre fine."
Cruel bookAs many as 373 cases of cruelty against animals were registered in the country in the last three years, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said in the Lok Sabha on April 28, 2010. Replying to a question, Ramesh said, of the 373 cases, 123 cases were reported in 2007-08 followed by 110 cases in 2008-09 and 140 in 2009-10.
