Transporting buffaloes against animal transport norms

By Shaligram Nepal,Chitwan, June 14: Even though a debate on animal rights is often raised, the transportation of buffaloes on congested vehicles against the standards has not been stopped yet.

It has been found that transportation of buffaloes to Kathmandu from different places in the Terai does not meet the minimum standards.

There have been incidents in which the noses and tails of the poor animals are tied with ropes while keeping them in trucks, resulting in bleeding, suffocation and even death when they are kept in the congested space of the moving vehicle.

Animal Transport Standard 2008 states that during transportation, animals should be transported carefully so that they can move, do not get injured, are protected from extreme cold or heat, and are not affected by bumping of the vehicles.

There is a provision in the law that animals should not be tied while transporting them, grass, straw and water should be provided and resting arrangements should be made.

But those rules are not applied while taking buffaloes to Kathmandu, said Shirish Gautam, chief of Animal Quarantine Checkpost, Ramnagar.

If it is seen that the animals are transported against the rules keeping them in the truck, they will be made to untie the rope and will be sent away after paying a fine, he said.

He said that animal rights should be abided right from where the animals are loaded. At the check post, we warn the suppliers and impose a fine to maintain standards while transporting animals and reduce the pain of animals by untying them.

Gautam said that the Quarantine Office was not able to make arrangements other than the fine.

He said that if it is found that pain is caused to the animals during their transportation, there is a preparation to build a holding centre, but the work has not made any progress.

About 10 trucks of buffaloes are taken to the capital every day from places like Dhanusha, Parasi, Nawalparasi, Bara, Nepalgunj, Kailali and Rautahat districts.

He said that only a few of the trucks used for animal transportation follow the general rules and most of them violate the animal rights.

He said that if there is an arrangement to check the animals at the loading point and send them, there will be no problem on the way. As it is easier to transport the animals at night, they are often transported to Kathmandu at night.

Jeeba Nath Dhakal, who has been working in the quarantine office for 15 years, said that if there was a system to build a slaughterhouse where there is a market and supply meat, there would have been no need to see such pain faced by animals during transportation.

Sumedha Gautam, coordinator of Animal Nepal Chitwan Office, who is working in the field of animal rights, said that traders and government bodies were not sensitive about animal rights.