Learn...to Care
is a series that discusses issues relating to Pet Care. The Q & A have
been drawn from an interactive dialogue between Mrs. Maneka Gandhi, renowned animal
activist and discerning common people concerned about the cause. The discussion is laid
before you with her consent. Your comments are welcome on the series at pfa_mg@hotmail.com
You can mail your queries on Pet Care to Mrs. Maneka Gandhi at manekagandhi@mid-day.com answers to which will
be posted at Mid Day's Web Site.
Part
- I
Part
- II
Part - III
Part - IV
Part -
V
Q.
I rescued a drowning cat but unfortunately it died soon after being
brought to shore. I feel I could have saved it if I'd known what to do.
Please advise.
A.
Just like with humans, animals saved from drowning, need artificial
respiration too. When the rescued animal is brought to shore it gasps, its
breathing becomes slow, the gums and eyelid rims turn pale or blue and the
animal loses consciousness. What you need to do is lay the animal on its
right side, open its mouth and take out anything blocking the air passage.
Pull the tongue forward. Apply 3-4 upward thrusts with heel of hand
pressing behind the last ribs. Release immediately and briskly. If the
animal is not breathing try compressions. Lay it flat, open the mouth,
pull tongue forward, and close the mouth; then press firmly with the flat
of the both hands between the shoulder and over the ribs to express to
express air. If a new breath doesn't result, place your lips over the
animal's nose and blow gently once every 4 or 5 seconds into the nostrils.
Q.
I have often seen cattle with red sore streaks on their sides and backs
with white scars. What is the this caused by?
A.
When hungry cattle edge near fruit and vegetable stalls, owners often
throw acid at them. The animals get terribly burned. Often the wounds
become maggot-infested and the animal dies a slow and agonizing
death. What is ironical is these very same traders go to temples and
worship the cow as a deity who in real life cannot even spare her one
rotting fruit and vegetable. When you go shopping for your greens, be sure
to check traders who beat and ill treat these gentle creatures. Under the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, it is illegal to hurt or injure
any animal, similarly under the Indian Penal Code Section 428 it is a
cognisable offence to maim any animal above the value of Rs.10/-
Punishment is a fine of Rs.2,000/- and a term in jail. You can help stray
cows by collecting leftovers from all the houses in your area and giving
it to them at a fixed time and place everyday. And whenever you go to get
fruit or vegetables, be sure to share some with a cash-strapped cow.
Q. What are "Broilers"? Are they healthy to
eat?
A.
Hybrid chickens raised for slaughter rather than for laying eggs are
called Broilers. After the medical warnings against meat, the poultry
industry cleverly tried to distinguish their product as different by
inventing this 'red' and 'white' classification. Actually both are equally
harmful. Chicken has much higher cholesterol content than even beef and
only one gram less fat. Modern poultry farming methods where the chickens
are pumped full of anitibiotics, chemical feeds and steroids has given
rise to modern day diseases like Salmonellosis and Chicken Flu.
In addition to the health
risks, most people are unaware of the enormous anguish these chicken are
put through on the way to becoming the legs and breasts you pick out of
the buffet. Broilers are supplied by hatcheries to factory farms one day
old chicks so they are completely deprived of any tenderness or maternal
care. These mass produced chickens spend their short lives in huge
windowless sheds, having to fend for themselves from day one, resulting in
starvation and untimely deaths. They are slaughtered barely 6-7 weeks
later after being pumped full of steroids to multiply their hatched weight
by approximately 60 times. Being transported for slaughter is a further
trauma. Soft young bones break and already deformed joints become
dislocated when birds are caught and piled on top of each other. If you
are concerned about your health and animal suffering you should resolve
never to eat chicken again.
Q.
My neighbour has cut down a tree that had several birds nests in it.
Isn't this an offence?
A.
Under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, wild birds as well as their nests
and eggs are protected and it is an offence to cause damage to them under
Section 11 of the Act. Your neighbour is therefore liable under this Act
to imprisonment upto 3 years.
