Nagaland Animal Welfare Society to check pet shops running without licenses
Dimapur, July 4 (MExN): “Animal cruelty is a problem today in our society that is growing rapidly which needs to stop.
There has been a debate going on whether dog meat trade in Nagaland should be banned or not,” the Nagaland Animal Welfare Society (NAWS) asserted on Saturday.
According to a tweet by Temjen Toy, Chief Secretary of Nagaland, “The state government has decided to ban the commercial import and trading of dogs and dog market and sale of dog meat both cooked and uncooked in Nagaland.”
“The state government is in the process of passing an ordinance regarding this,” the NAWS stated in its press statement.
The Society stated that many laws and restrictions have been passed in these past few months at different levels of the government as preventive measures for COVID-19. However, some organisations have misunderstood it and have issued “shoot on sight” against dogs, resulting in several organisations to condemn such acts. In this regard, district administrations of different districts has issued a notification stating such acts as a crime under appropriate sections of the Indian Panel Code and the prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
Referring to the Gujarat incident, where the video of a young man strangling a puppy to death along with an audio clip spoken in Nagamese which roughly translated that “he killed the puppy because it had chewed his sandals” was circulated, the NAWS claimed that it was “instrumental regarding it.”
Having learnt that the incident did not happen in Nagaland, they reported it to a PETA activist Ashar Meet and with the help of his assistant Neha Chaturvedi got in touch with the Gujarat police and apprehended the accused. A case was registered under section 429, 11 (1) (A), 11(1) (I) under the Indian Penal Code.
According to NAWS, as “assigned” by Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, they met Temjen Toy in his office at the Secretariat, Kohima on July 1, 2020. “The discussion was to ban the sale of dog meat and to stop the illegal transportation of dogs for meat from other states right away,” the statement added.
It also stated that dog meat consumption is prohibited in India through the Food Safety and Standard (Food Products Standard and Additives) Regulation, 2011.
It also stated that conscientiously, consuming a dog is not any worse than consuming a cow, pig, or chicken, but dogs are meant as house-hold pets and not meant for food. “Dogs are a special companion animal and one not internationally recognised as livestock; it is like raising a child. This makes the dog reliant to its owner, and a dog without an owner is extremely vulnerable, and in most situations, they’re highly credulous. Once you gain trust from them, you'll almost make them do anything for you. There’s really not much to argue about animal cruelty then to not do it at all.”
Humane Society International, India estimates that around 30,000 dogs a year are smuggled into Nagaland where they are sold in live markets for consumption. “To ensure the enforcement of the order, NAWS will be working along with the law enforcement agencies until every illegal selling is shut down,” it said while adding that their next move will be to check pet shops running without licenses.
