The truth about technicalities
Why should we be so mean to those animals that help us in every way to survive? India will not be viable if we remove its cattle and yet how viciously we treat them, says maneka gandhi
TWO months ago I held a meeting with Union ministry of animal husbandry officials to ask them to change their policy on things that were killing India – the growing of emus and rabbits, a 100 per cent subsidy on slaughterhouses and bad slaughter practices. They heard me out in silence and the next day Sharad Pawar told me that none of these things would be changed because he was personally in favour of them.
One of the things I asked for was a policy decision on the terrible physical mutilations done to cattle, such as dehorning, castration and nose-roping. The commissioner for animal husbandry, a horrible, foolish man who epitomises the illiterate and pompous bureaucrat that has ruined India, felt he had to add to the discussion and so he butted in, “I am a vet and I believe that animals do not feel any pain while undergoing these ‘mutilations’ as they are not capable of feeling pain. So these procedures remain unchanged.”
On that I asked, “Do you think that a living being whose testicles are being crushed without anaesthesia does not feel pain?”
He answered, “Pain is relative, madam.”
Hearing this, I had this dire urge of inflicting the same on him. How unlucky animals are that these kind of people, who fail at 10th boards, take up veterinary science, pay their way into government jobs and are the ones put in charge of animals’ lives. No wonder there is so much cruelty!
This is the problem: under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, certain procedures that are commonly performed on cattle are exempt from being technically known as “cruel”, which include “dehorning and disbudding of cattle or castration or branding or nose-roping of any animal in the prescribed manner”. Anybody can try their hands on these poor beasts and yet not be considered cruel.
Dehorning is removal of a bovine&’s horns and disbudding refers to destroying horn-producing cells. These practices are performed not to make the animals comfortable but to render them defenceless while being mishandled, beaten, pushed into trucks for slaughter, etc. Also done as prevention from hurting one another for owners to earn more from sale while being squeezed into small spaces.
As a matter of fact, both dehorning and disbudding are extremely painful as disbudding methods include searing horn buds using hot irons, which is not only extremely painful but can also damage the underlying bone; applying or injecting caustic materials or using knives, shears or dehorning spoons to chop off buds. Surgically removing horns or physically cutting them off using wires, guillotine shears, dehorning knives, saws or spoons are some of the methods employed. Not that any anaesthesia is used, not even by a so-called vet. Compounders, village quacks and animal husbandry officials – it&’s a free call for all.
The cattle are in extreme pain during and after the procedure that causes tissue damage to the most sensitive part of the body – the head. Blood tests reflect pain indicators: increased plasma cortisol concentrations, increased adrenaline and no adrenaline concentrations. The poor, mute animal physically shows all the pain response that one can, such as tail-wagging, head movement, tripping and rearing during dehorning, head-rubbing, head-shaking, neck extension, ear-flicking, restlessness by lying and getting up frequently and appetite loss. Because of the inept methods, diseases such as tetanus, bovine cutaneous papillomas and bovine leukosis virus infection are common.
All we are asking for is that anaesthesia be given before the amputation and painkillers dispensed for relief and post-surgery care must be adopted without fail as this is a major operation. If your ears are cut off and then the nerves and bone seared with common iron to the side of your head, wouldn’t you go mad with pain? Then why should this be any less?
Castration is another common practice on male cattle done to prevent unwanted breeding and reduce aggressive behaviour for the animal to become docile even when he is overloaded, beaten, mishandled, starved and eventually crowded into a truck for slaughter. In India, the bail or castrated bull is the backbone of the agricultural economy and this is how they are ill-treated.
In most deep rural areas, one trusses the animal after forcing him on his side. Then his testicles are crushed, using a heavy stone. The following is the “approved” method, which is no better than the former. A rubber ring is attached to the neck of the scrotum (above the testicles) and a clamp (called a testicle crusher) is used to crush the animal&’s spermatic cord. The chemical method involves injecting toxic agents (eg, lactic acid) into the testicular parenchyma, and the hormonal method requires injecting immuno- contraceptives into the animal to induce antibody production against gonadotropin-releasing hormone, resulting in a drop in testosterone hormone production.
Like anticipated, all types of physical and chemical methods of castration cause animals to endure tremendous stress and pain as the testes and scrotum are heavily supplied with nerves, and any damage to them causes immediate and prolonged pain for weeks. After castration, the cattle&’s blood cortisol concentrations are found to have increased considerably and it takes a long time to return to normal.
The intense pain that animals experience during and after castration causes many cattle to exhibit acute responses, including struggling, kicking with the hind legs, tail-swishing, foot-stamping, head-turning, restlessness, a stilted gait, reduced activity, increased recumbency, abnormal standing posture, glazed expressions and reduced feed intake.
Analgesics, sedatives and anaesthetics can reduce or eliminate fear and pain during castration. Immuno-castration is a much better alternative: injections given every six months reduce a bullock&’s testosterone production and is a humane alternative to conventional castration.
Cattle in India are commonly subjected to painful hot-iron branding and freeze-branding to signify one&’s ownership. Both are extremely painful and loud moans and increased heart and respiratory rates are common symptoms, along with kicking, tail-flicking and trying to escape. This branding should be strictly banned unless accompanied by local anaesthesia, painkillers and done by an experienced vet. It would be much better to outlaw the process and replace it with ear-tattooing or micro-chipping.
Nose-roping involves piercing an animal&’s nasal septum in front of the cartilage using an iron rod, passing a rope through the hole and permanently fastening it behind the animal&’s head below the base of the horns. Pulling or twisting the rope exerts pressure on the extremely sensitive septum, causing the animal pain and making it easier for handlers to force him/her to manoeuvre.
In addition to the initial pain of piercing, nose ropes cause cattle chronic pain and injuries. Once in place, the nose ropes are pulled, yanked and jerked, causing immeasurable pain and suffering. According to a recent study, moderate to severe injuries in the nostrils were noted in 62 per cent of cattle, three per cent lesions bled continuously and 44 per cent had pus discharge.
A halter (called a morkee) is a simple, effective, inexpensive and humane alternative to nose ropes. This could be official policy and people can be taught how to use properly fitting gear and instructed to control bullocks through the use of positive training methods, including treats such as sweet grass, calmly talking to and gently stroking the animal.
Castrations must be performed by a registered veterinary practitioner. Anaesthesia should be mandatory for any invasive husbandry procedure in cattle. Why should we be so mean to those animals that help us in every way to survive? India will not be viable if we remove its cattle. But how viciously we treat them. Animal husbandry practices should be refined and state animal husbandry departments should define a standard operating procedure. Extremely strict action should be taken against those who violate these rules. Each rural hospital should have inventories of drugs, instruments and equipment for humane procedures. The Veterinary Council of India should issue directives to veterinary colleges and universities to amend their curricula to teach students to administer sedatives, analgesics and anaesthetics during field procedures. The old procedures must be banned under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

To join the animal welfare movement contact gandhim@nic.in, www.peopleforanimalsindia.org