Hon Chief Justice of India,
Hon Chief Justice of Madras High Court,
Hon Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,
Greetings !!!
Subject: In the interest of general public on Environmental & Compassionate grounds Appeal to Ban Camel Slaughter in Tamil Nadu
We, People for Cattle In India (PFCI) a Non –Government Organization formed to prevent & eradicate cruelty posed to Cattle & other Animals in India would like to draw your kind attention to the ‘Camel Slaughter’ which occurs every year mainly during religious festivals. We hereby seek this appeal as a result of few of our failed attempts in an effort to rescue the Camels which were brought for the slaughter in the past. Our labors in this regards were primarily unsuccessful in the first place because there is no proper law, regulations or guidelines pertaining to the ‘Camel Slaughter’ in Tamil Nadu. Secondly, Due to the lack of knowledge on Animal Laws by the Govt officials we came across in this issue.
On one hand we need to consider the plight of the Animal on humane grounds. Since Camels are not a Natural Habitat of our State, few of them are made to walk all the way from desert regions of Rajasthan to Tamil Nadu; Due to the fact that the Camel feet are habituated only to walk on sand dunes & not rough roads they suffer immensely in such a long journey for months together. Also, they are agonized further by tying the Camel tightly to a rope and pulling it all the way mercilessly, in addition to not providing enough water & food (Given that the Camel is known for their survival without the same). Whereas, On the other hand ‘Slaughter’ & ‘Consumption’ of the Camel meat may not be doing much good for the Humans as well.
The following are points of consideration which enables us to conclude that ‘Camel Slaughter’ is Hazardous and Clearly Impacts the society harmfully.
Ø Illegal trafficking of Camels violating Transportation Rule& PCA act:
RTI reply from Transport department suggests that no Camels were brought into the state officially. This suggests that the Camels which were used for the purpose of slaughter are ‘Illegally Trafficked’ violating various Transportation laws. To avoid attracting the attention of the officials they generally make the Camel walk all the way from Rajasthan to Tamil Nadu for months together which seriously violates Prevention of Cruelty Towards Animals Act 1960 & Transport of Animals Rules.
Ø Public Slaughter which poses Environmental Threats & Epidemic Threat:
The RTI reply from the Chennai Corporation suggests that the culling of Camels does not happen in Slaughterhouses this implies that the Camels are Slaughtered in Public. This is a serious violation of the Environmental law and this could harm the society by way of polluting Air, Water & Land. Since the slaughter is illegal it will not comply with the usual ‘Slaughter House Rules’ especially one of them which requires careful examination of the Animals to be slaughtered by a qualified Veterinarian. In absence of this procedure it can lead to epidemic diseases outbreak since the Animals crosses various cities, towns, hamlets to reach their destination. Such a disease may not just affect the person who consumes the meat but also the person who lives in & around the area of slaughter.