Draught animal welfare
Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication: |
1998 |
Authors: |
N. S. Ramaswamy |
Publication/Journal: |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Keywords: |
animal welfare organisations (awos), developing countries (dcs), draught animal power (dap), draught animal welfare (daw), draught animals (das), veterinarians and veterinary associations (vva) |
ISBN: |
0168-1591 |
Abstract:
Draught animals (DAs), in developing countries (DC), undergo unimaginable suffering in innumerable ways, such as: excessive strain and stress due to overloading, beatings and whip lashes to haul loads beyond their capacity, callosity and neck injury due to defective harnessing, lack of adequate feed and rest, etc. After their working life, DAs are trekked on foot, or transported in congested vehicles, over hundreds of miles, and finally slaughtered using crude and cruel methods. There is practically no effort to prevent such brutal cruelty. The only way of solving this massive problem is modernisation of the animal power system through inputs of technology and management, which would result in huge economic benefits, justifying the required investment, and concurrently reducing DA suffering. Veterinarians should expand their professional horizon and launch programmes for awareness creation of the economic dimension and establishment of welfare organisations which do not exist now in most DCs.