Mushrooming Illegal Pet Shops And Teary Eyes Of Caged Species, Do Not Go Well At All
By D N Singh
Cruelty towards the animals normally get buried in the debris of ignorance of the law. And, to a great extent because we do not realize what pain a caged animal undergoes.
The specific side of such an aspect plays out itself nakedly in the nooks and corners of many cities including the major ones like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Berhampur.
Where the sight of Pet shops trading animals and birds in cages. The sight is more disturbing when ones sees the species, any of them, confined inside extremely small cages such as Puppies, birds, rabbits and different other species like white rats and so on.
The shop keepers normally pander to the flashy and affluent customers of a certain class. Those who have not even the slightest compassion to realise that, by taking such stocks to home, they multiply the plights of the species.
Law Remains Blindfolded
May be late in the day, yet, the People For Animal(PFA) woke up to this reality and has lodged a strong complaint with the authorities concerned regarding the ongoing violations of the Pet shop rules under Prevention of Cruelty Act (Pet Shops) rules 2018 notified by Ministry of Environment
However, it appears as is the authorities assigned to keep the vigil on such violations move with their blinkers on.
And the number of such Pet shops keep multiplying. An estimation reveals that, in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, there are over 500 to 600 such pet shops operating right under the nose of the law keepers.
The rules are laid down, that anyone to open any such outlet is bound to obtain the permission .Pet shops should obtain the certificate of registration from State Animal Welfare Board within the Sixty days from the date of notification as per provision under rule-3 of the Pet shop rule. But no shop having this permission and illegal trading going on.
They are also selling some protected species under Wildlife Protection Act 1972 which is also a crime and punishable under this Act.
In a survey PFA found that the shops have no records of health conditions of the caged species which is otherwise mandatory.
“Even they don’t have record as from where do they get the supply of such species nor have they any record of the health conditions” rued Jeevan Das, PFA state chapter Secretary.
It is a double whammy slapped on these poor animals. One they are confined in small enclosures plus the psychological stress loaded on them. Because, they cannot speak!
Focusing on the ground ethics of any animal keeping, no animal or birds which are destined to fly and roam, should be kept in confinement at all.
For the birds, the sky is the limit but in case of others such as dogs or rabbits the thumb rule is more elaborate. Rabbit are wild and that’s their home. Where they should be.
In case of dogs, which are kept at homes, an adult small dog badly requires a muscle flexing of at least 3 to 5kms a day else his or her muscular fibers weaken and the metabolic dysfunctional weight heavy.
Even in case of Big cats like leopard or tiger, they require a run of 20 to 25 kms a day and adult dogs should run for 10 kms a day.
It is time that the rules must change and the affluent class which enjoys a dream run in showcasing birds or animals should rise to the occasion.
