The Hindu : New Delhi News : Animal rights activists demand control on breeders

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Tuesday, Sep 02, 2008
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Animal rights activists demand control on breeders

Staff Reporter

“There is continuous breeding of animals for profit”
Need for checks by the Animal Welfare Division of the MCD

NEW DELHI: Animal rights activists have come out strongly against breeders and traders of exotic animals operating in the Capital stating that there has been a “proliferation of backyard breeders in the city”.

“Breeders and sellers in the city operate without the knowledge of genetics and bloodline of the animals. They also do not often properly screen buyers, raise the animals in poor conditions and practise irresponsible in-breeding as a result of which more and more cases of dogs with epilepsy, respiratory ailments, kidney failure, umbilical hernias, heart murmurs, eye defects, haemophilia and problematic pregnancies are being brought to veterinary clinics and even abandoned,” says Sonya Ghosh of Citizens for the Welfare and Protection of Animals.

Various non-government organisations including Friendicose-SECA, Wildlife SOS, Citizens for the Welfare and Protection of Animals and International Organisation for the Protection of Animals have strongly condemned the commercial breeding of exotic and companion animals by private individuals.

“There is continuous breeding of animals for the purpose of profit. Some animal breeders and exotic animal traders have chosen to fool the public by grouping under the banner of ‘Pet Lovers’ Association’ and calling themselves ‘animal lovers’ whose mission is to promote ‘compassion towards animals’ by breeding and selling animals,” noted a release issued by the group.

The animal rights activists said they were appalled by the lack of responsibility taken by government officials in keeping a check on the inhumane conditions of commercial breeding kennels in Delhi.

“Such establishments are a disgrace to our community. While there are laws worldwide to check and control commercial breeding, there are no laws in current usage to keep a check on whether adequate care is being provided to animals bred for commerce by breeders,” it added.

The group has demanded that breeders provide breeding charts, documentary proof that the dogs they have bred are at least two years old, proof whether a resting period has been maintained for bitches between litters, whether they have been tested for any genetic health problems before the breeding, and information on what happens to animals when they cannot breed anymore.

Opposing mass breeding of animals, the group has also called for checks by the Animal Welfare Division of the MCD to ensure that breeders compulsorily provide information on health testing of most of the immediate relatives of the animals bred, offer a guarantee against genetic health problems, rationalise the prices and provide authentic papers.

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