Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023: UPSC Notes

The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023: An Overview

• The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, mandates the capture, vaccination, neutering, and subsequent release of stray dogs.
• The principal objective of these rules is to regulate the stray dog population in a humane way.
• These rules were introduced as a corrective measure to the ineffective 2001 Rules, which failed to curb the stray dog population due to piecemeal implementation.
• The new rules provide a framework for the sterilisation and immunisation of stray dogs through Animal Birth Control (ABC) programmes. Local bodies, municipalities, municipal corporations, and panchayats are tasked with conducting these programmes.
• These rules also provide non-relocation solutions to human-dog conflicts.

Issues with the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023

Despite their good intentions, the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, are not without flaws. Here are some of the main issues:

• The rules reclassify "stray dogs" as "community animals", a term that lacks clarity.
• The rules suggest that residents' welfare associations should care for and feed the dogs away from children and the elderly. This could result in increased homelessness among dogs, making them more vulnerable to diseases and injuries.
• The rules do not address the improper disposal of solid waste or the casual feeding of dogs, which could lead to more human-dog conflicts.
• The local authorities are accountable for any violations during birth-control procedures and animal-human conflicts, but they lack the necessary resources, manpower, and infrastructure to effectively carry out these responsibilities.

Animal Welfare Board of India: A Brief Overview

• The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) is a statutory advisory body set up in 1962 under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
• Operating under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, the AWBI plays a crucial role in animal welfare and protection in India.
• The AWBI advises the central government on animal welfare matters and offers recommendations and guidelines to state governments, animal welfare organisations, and the public on animal care and treatment.
• It is responsible for monitoring the enforcement of animal welfare laws, conducting investigations and research, and promoting animal welfare education and awareness programmes across the country.

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act: Key Points

• The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act is an Indian legislation enacted in 1960 to protect animals from cruelty.
• The act comprehensively seeks to prevent unnecessary pain or suffering to animals and includes provisions related to animal cruelty, animal transportation, and animal slaughter.
• The act provides for the establishment of animal welfare boards to promote animal welfare and investigate complaints of animal cruelty.
• The law is enforced by the Animal Welfare Board of India and other law enforcement agencies.

Conclusion

• The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, were introduced to regulate the stray dog problem in India. However, these rules have several shortcomings.
• The rules must address issues such as improper waste disposal, casual feeding of dogs, promoting formal ownership of dogs, and encouraging adoption to completely eradicate the problem of canine homelessness.
• Without these improvements, the rules could create more problems at the local level and fail to address the root of the problem.

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