PLEASE RESCUE THE GOATS

MH Vatavaran, the Environment Society of Miranda House in collaboration with AAVYA , presented a documentary “Dominion”, an Aussie Farms production under the Farms Transparency Project showcasing the horrors and barbaric, inhumane behavior meted out to the animals of dairy industry. Here's a brief report on one of the animals the documentary discusses about.

Cruelty to animals is not a new concept and we all must understand that treating animals with love and compassion is the moral duty of every individual. But here we have found how mercilessly goats are killed.

Exploitation of Goats

Australia is the largest exporter of goats. Meat and the majority of it goes to the United states. Only 10% for meat that comes from goats is used for meat, rest are reared for milk. Roaming goats are transported to feeding houses known as goat depots where they are fattened prior to slaughter houses.

Solution

As we know, sometimes owners of these goats leave them in forests since, if the goat suffers from any injury or disease they are rendered useless. A law should be framed which obliges the owners to give proper treatment to these goats instead of leaving them in the wilderness to die.In Villages and cities, goat shelter should be mandatorily made where proper maintenance and care should be provided like first aid, proper diet (lush green grass). The adoption of goats from these shelters should be rendered with full responsibility and formal procedure to save them from ill fate.

Apart from all these, grazing lands should be made available to the owners so that the owners do not feel insecure about their goats and treat them as burdens. It is also found that very often fencing wires are arranged around the fields. These wires are dangerous for such animals and thus fencing of fields should be banned altogether.

There should be proper checks at various traffic signals of our country to prevent illegal smuggling of goats. These goats are often kidnapped from fields and transported to slaughterhouses through trucks. In foreign countries, this kind of smuggling is done through ships. However, the chances of smuggling are less in case of ships due to a more stringent system of security at the fields. The exports and imports of these animals should be gradually decreased so that they too, can live freely and independently like us.

- By Archana Mina