Love thy pets, message is clear

The Law Commission has made some welcome recommendations for regulation of the working of pet shops and breeding houses and under-lined the need to take effective steps for this. The government has maintained that it has no powers to do this under existing laws. But the Commission has made it clear that it has adequate powers under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act to regulate the business. It has pointed out that rules on pet shops, dog breeding and aquarium breeding were framed in 2010. These can be notified and implemented to ensure that pets are not ill-treated and subjected to cruelty. The panel studied the matter on a representation from a number of animal welfare organisations which sought its views on the legal steps needed to check ill treatment of pet animals.

Its report noted that the pet care business is worth thousands of crores of rupees. It is growing year by year. There are thousands of pet shops and breeders in the country but most of them treat the birds, animals and fish very badly. While pets need to be kept
under natural conditions, most often they are kept in artificial and distressful conditions. De-beaking of birds, de-clawing of kitten and drugging of pups are common. Crowding, starving, unsanitary upkeep and lack of veterinary care affect the health of animals and create stress and trauma. They contract diseases which are passed on to other animals and to human beings. Transportation is done in very bad conditions. It is estimated that up to 40 per cent of pets do not survive the poor confinement and transportation conditions. The loss is made up in the price of the surviving pets. Wild animals are illegally kept and traded as pets.

This is a very bad picture of the state of pet animals. People increasingly want to keep pets for reasons like growing social stress in urban life and higher living standards and income, and even as lifestyle statements. They are not treated well even by those who keep them. But the conditions at the pet shops and breeding houses, as pointed out by animal lovers and now by the Commission, are very bad and need to be regulated. Pets should not suffer because of our need for them. Our treatment of all animals, not just pets, leaves much to be desired. Many countries have strict rules on breeding, trade and upkeep of pets. We should also have them and they should be enforced effectively.