This document discusses animal welfare and rights in Nepal. It begins by defining animal welfare and distinguishing it from animal rights. It then outlines Nepal's animal welfare legislation and some common acts of cruelty against animals in Nepal. It notes several animal welfare charities operating in Nepal and the role of veterinarians in advocating for animal welfare. It concludes by discussing challenges to improving animal welfare in Nepal.
2. Introduction
Differences between animal welfare and animal
rights
Concept of animal welfare
Animal welfare legislation
Animal welfare violation
The National penal (code) Act, 2017
Name of various animal welfare charities operating in
Nepal
Role of veterinarian
3.
4. Animal welfare refers to the relationship people have
with animal and the duty they have to assure that the
animal under their care are treated humanely and
responsibly.
Good animal welfare requires disease prevention and
veterinary treatment, appropriate shelter,
management, nutrition, humane handling and humane
slaughter and killing.
5. some people use the term animals welfare and animal
rights, interchangeably suggesting that they represent
the same concerns, principle and practices, but the
differences between two are significant and
irreconcilable.
Animal rights: using animal for human purposes is
ethically and morally wrong.
Animal rights believe that animal should not be used for
food, clothing, research, or to harvest medicinal organ.
They believe that animal should have the same rights as
human and that humans should care for and protect
animals.
6. Animals should be treated in a humane manner and
provided with adequate housing, nutrition, disease
prevention, and humane treatment and handling.
People in favor of animal welfare believe that
animals can be used for food and for research when
no other alternatives exist.
7.
8. 1. Freedom from hunger or thirst: by ready access to
fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigor.
2. Freedom from discomfort: by providing an appropriate
environment including shelter and a comfortable resting
area.
3. Freedom from pain, injury or disease: by prevention
or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
4. Freedom to express normal behavior: by providing
sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the
animals own kind.
5. Freedom from fear and distress: by ensuring condition
and treatment which avoid mental suffering.
9.
10. Animal welfare Directive 2073 (2016 AD) has been
published (Ministry of livestock development) MOLD
2016. unfortunately, this directive is limited to pack and
traction animals in commercials agricultural and industrial
occupation.
It encompasses provisions regarding working hours, load
weight, minimum food requirements, shelter, security,
health and normal behavior and prohibits cruel treatment.
11. Ministry of livestock development
(Endorsed on 2073/12/24 by the government of Nepal)
Chapter:2 : Provision of animal welfare:- “Animal
welfare directive 2073 Nepal”
Five freedom
Animal shall be put to work only after due care
Working climate and duration: not more than 8 hours/ day
Feeding and provision of water
Animal shall never be made to carry weight exceeding
40% of in body weight.
12. Cruelty towards animals:
Using knife, axe, electric shock, chilli powder or other
painful substances to control animals.
Causing pain, discomfort or wound, tying or hanging on
nose or tail or leg.
Causing injury using sticks: abandonment of working
animals.
Castration without following the direction of department.
13. Responsibility and obligation to Animal welfare:
Responsibility of animals owner and user:
1. Safety disposal of dead carcass
2. Register owned animal at local authority
3. The animal owner shall co-ordinate , cooperate or support
in implementation of activation related to animals
welfare.
Responsibility of NGO/INGO:
1. To raise awareness amongst the user group and the
general public regarding animal welfare of working
animal and prevention of cruelty against animal in co-
ordination with registered veterinarian and authorized
veterinary institution.
15. Cruel activities practices in our community:
1. Cruelty towards community and pet dogs:
Mischief: This includes killing, poisoning, or maiming
an animals.
Maiming: it means making an animal permanently
useless by the use of violence:- fracture bone, cutting
tendon of leg and neck, injury to udder in milch animals.
poisoning of stray dog to control overpopulation by local
people.
Mass poisoning (strychnine) by Nepal local authorities to
control rabies, noise pollution and road accidents.
16. Pouring hot water to dogs at the food vendors.
Some inserting sharp objects inside dogs eye to make it
blind.
Bestiality: sexual intercourse between a person and an
animal
17. Working animals includes horse, donkey, mule, cattle,
buffalo
The equine are generally underfeed, suffer from
malnutrition, and dehydration and are overloaded and
overworked
The animals are beated relentlessly by their handlers,
mostly children as young as six years old.
18. The overcrowding and cruel tethering during buffalo and
poultry transportation leads to serious health depletion , stress,
wound and infection
Slaughtering of animals like buff, poultry, goat, are carried out
without stunning and in inhumane ways.
19.
20. Nepal’s diverse cultures include cruel practices in which
animals are slowly and unnecessarily killed, torn apart or
even skinned alive.
Animal sacrifice is practiced widely and in some cases
subsidized by the government.
One example is in Gadhimai festival every five year
hundreds and thousands of animal are killed in cruel
manner.
Another is at Khokana festival, cruel ritual involving the
tearing apart and biting to death of a baby goat in a pond.
21. In parts of Nepal, the blood drinking ceremony takes
places twice a year.
Yak Blood is supposed to cure many disease including
gastric problems and it is a purifier of human blood.
Yak from 1 year old are bled several times over several
days.
22. The Gadhimai festival is a sacrificial feast that takes
place once every 5 years at Gadhimai temple of
Bariyapur.
The sacrifice buffalo, pig, goat and poultry are in favor
of Gadhimai. The godness of power. Largest sacrifice
event in the world.
23. In this festival, a young female goat is first thrown into a
sacred pond and then torn apart alive by the group of
young man.
The festival starts from 12th century, when a child was
drowned.
24. Art. 116. Prohibition of reckless conducted with
respect to animals and bird.
A person who commits, or cause to be committed, the
offence referred to in sub-section (1) shall be liable to a
sentence of imprisonment for a term not exceeding one
year or a fine not exceeding ten thousand rupees or
both the sentences.
25. Art. 227: prohibition of bestiality:
A person who commits the offence referred to in sub-
section (4) shall be liable to a sentence of imprisonment for
a term not exceeding two years and a fine not exceeding
20 thousand rupees.
Chapter-27: Offences relatives to animals and birds:
Art. 289: prohibition of killing or beating cows or oxen.
when any act referred to in sub-section (1) cause the death
of any cow or ox, the offender of such offence shall be
liable to a sentence of imprisonment for a term not
exceeding 3 years. if he or she causes grievous hurt to a
cow or ox, and to a sentence of a fine not exceeding fifty
thousand rupees if other hurt is caused.
26. Art.290: Sub-section (2) a person who commits the offence
referred to in sub section (1) shall be liable to a sentence of
imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 month or a fine not
exceeding 5 thousand rupees or both the sentences.
Art. 291: prohibition of killing animals or bird in public
places:
A person who commits or cause to be committed, the
offence referred to in this section shall be liable to a
sentences of imprisonment for a term not exceeding one
month or a fine not exceeding five thousand rupees or
both the sentences.
27.
28. The private sector show encouraging sign of increased
awareness of animal welfare, particularly in the main
urban areas.
There are some 20 welfare organization animal charities
in Nepal.
Most are local organization operating on limited budgets
and are wholly dependent on donations.
29.
30. Several local charities are supported by international
welfare organization
U.k charities the Brooke and Donkey sanctuary, world
horse welfare
The Australian charity Animal Aid Abroad inc.
Which helping working animals all over the world. Also
provide supporting donkeys and dogs.
Elephant Aid international : that working elephant
must be chain free.
31. Veterinarian daily practices:
traditionally veterinarian first motto is to treat and save
the animals.
Veterinary advocacy to animal owners:
Veterinarian have the scientific and medical training as
well as legal responsibility to ensure animal welfare
expectation and standard are met. Veterinarian are best
positioned in the light of knowledge and skill about
animal management and to motivate their owner.
32. Collaboration with other interested parties on animals
welfares
Veterinarians should make themselves available to co-operate
with all interested parties( eg, legislation, livestock and animal
welfare organization etc..) to improve the welfare and well
being of animals.
Animal welfare scientific research:
Animal welfare is a multidisciplinary field of expertise which
includes veterinary science, ethics, religions, polities,
economics, etc..) it is evidence that further scientific research
in these area is necessary in order to understand better and to
discover best practices to enhance animal welfare.
Education and promotion of animal welfare to the wide public