Legislation to Protect the Welfare of Fish

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Legislation to Protect the Welfare of Fish \\jciprod01\productn\L\LCA\20-1\LCA106.txt unknown Seq: 1 10-FEB-14 15:31 LEGISLATION TO PROTECT THE WELFARE OF FISH By Kelly Levenda* This Article examines the marginalization of fish under current animal wel- fare laws and regulations, explores the treatment of farm-raised fish during transport and slaughter, and proposes legislation and regulations in these two areas. While evidence indicates that fish are capable of experiencing pain, fear, and suffering—the traditional considerations informing concepts of animal welfare—current pre-slaughter transport and slaughter practices are completely uninformed by notions of fish welfare. Comparing the cogni- tive and sensory capacities of fish to other animals currently receiving animal welfare recognition through official regulation, this Article argues that protections afforded to animals during transport and slaughter should similarly apply to fish. Using the World Organization for Animal Health’s Aquatic Animal Health Code as a model, this Article proposes model legisla- tion for fish transport: the Humane Transport of Fish Act. This legislation would supplement regulations already in place at the state and federal level, which currently pertain only to regulating the aquaculture industry and food safety. This Article also proposes amending the “Humane Methods” sec- tion of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act to include the slaughter of fish, and proposes related regulations to ensure that fish are humanely slaughtered. The massive amount of fish farmed in the United States and globally each year speaks to the potential impact formal regulation could have on the improvement and protection of fish welfare. I. INTRODUCTION ......................................... 120 R II. OVERVIEW .............................................. 120 R A. Global Overview ....................................... 120 R B. U.S. Overview ......................................... 122 R C. Why Should We Care? ................................. 122 R III. TYPES OF AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS AND WELFARE CONCERNS .............................................. 125 R A. Types of Aquaculture Systems .......................... 125 R B. Pre-Slaughter Transport and Other Preparations ........ 126 R C. Slaughter ............................................. 127 R IV. CURRENT LAWS AND PROPOSED LEGISLATION ........ 128 R A. The Twenty-Eight Hour Law ........................... 128 R B. Proposed Legislation to Protect Fish Welfare during Transport: The Humane Transport of Fish Act........... 130 R * © Kelly Levenda 2013. Kelly Levenda is an Animal Law Program Fellow at the Animal Legal Defense Fund. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science with a concentration in Biotechnology and Pre-Veterinary Science and is a graduate of Lewis & Clark Law School. [119] \\jciprod01\productn\L\LCA\20-1\LCA106.txt unknown Seq: 2 10-FEB-14 15:31 120 ANIMAL LAW [Vol. 20:119 1. Purpose ........................................... 130 R 2. Scope ............................................. 130 R 3. Responsibilities .................................... 131 R 4. Competence ........................................ 131 R 5. Transport Planning ................................ 132 R 6. Loading, Transporting, and Unloading the Fish ...... 133 R C. The Humane Methods of Slaughter Act ................. 133 R D. Proposed Legislation and Regulations to Protect Fish Welfare during Slaughter .............................. 136 R 1. Amendment to the “Humane Methods” Section of the HMSA ............................................ 136 R 2. Regulations on Humane Slaughter Methods .......... 137 R a. Percussive Stunning ............................ 137 R b. Spiking ........................................ 138 R c. Shooting with a Free Bullet ..................... 138 R d. Electrical Stunning ............................. 138 R 3. Regulation on Equipment and Personnel ............. 139 R 4. Regulation on Inhumane Slaughter Methods ......... 139 R 5. Regulation on Stunning ............................ 139 R 6. Regulation on Holding Facilities .................... 140 R 7. Regulation on Handling ............................ 140 R V. CONSIDERATIONS ...................................... 141 R VI. CONCLUSION ........................................... 144 R I. INTRODUCTION Within the growing field of animal law, fish are marginalized, es- pecially with regard to protections for animals slaughtered for human consumption. Although fish are subjected to inhumane slaughter, poor living conditions, and cruelty like many land animals, their welfare is not a topic often discussed. Without protections or discussion in the legal community about fish welfare, they will continue to suffer greatly. This Article seeks to provide an overview of the treatment of farm-raised fish, noting welfare concerns, and suggesting legislation to improve fish welfare. The focus will be on two stages in the lives of fish: treatment during transport and slaughter. II. OVERVIEW A. Global Overview Official statistics on the amount of fish caught each year are not available.1 The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations gives statistics of farmed and wild-caught fish in ton- nages, but does not give the mean weights of fish caught, making it difficult to calculate the total annual yield.2 A 2010 Fish Count Report 1 Alison Mood, fishcount.org.uk, Worse Things Happen at Sea: The Welfare of Wild- Caught Fish 70 (2010) (available at http://www.fishcount.org.uk/published/standard/ fishcountfullrptSR.pdf [http://perma.cc/0AgLVKUXWi6] (accessed Nov. 16, 2013)). 2 Id.; see Food & Agric. Org. of the U.N., Fisheries & Aquaculture Dept., Fishery Statistical Collections, Global Production: Structure, http://www.fao.org/fishery/statis \\jciprod01\productn\L\LCA\20-1\LCA106.txt unknown Seq: 3 10-FEB-14 15:31 2013] LEGISLATION TO PROTECT THE WELFARE OF FISH 121 calculated the number of fish caught globally each year to be between 0.97 and 2.7 trillion.3 This number includes shellfish, which are not discussed in this Article.4 The majority of fish caught are Peruvian an- chovy, skipjack tuna, Atlantic herring, Alaska pollock, and chub mack- erel, meaning that a large portion of the total number of fish caught are finfish.5 This estimate does not include the number of fish raised in farms, caught illegally, or caught as bycatch and discarded.6 It also does not include fish that escape from nets and die, fish caught acci- dentally by lost gears, fish caught for use as bait or feed, or any other unreported capture.7 The estimated number of farm-raised fish killed globally each year is between 10 billion and 100 billion.8 Overall, the total number of wild-caught fish and farm-raised fish is in the order of a trillion.9 Because of the sheer staggering number of fish caught or farm raised each year, their suffering is a major animal welfare concern.10 The uses for fish and fish products are wide ranging. Most fishery production—which includes farm-raised and wild-caught fish—is used for human consumption.11 About half of this is in the form of live and fresh fish.12 Some of the remaining fish are used in products such as fish oil, protein supplements, or gelatin.13 The byproducts are used for non-food products, such as fishmeal.14 These products are used in pet food or feed for farmed fish or other livestock.15 This Article will focus on farm-raised fish: fish farming, also known as aquaculture, is one of the fastest growing sectors of animal- based food products.16 Over the next decade, aquaculture output is ex- pected to rise by 33%, whereas wild-caught fishery capture is only ex- tics/global-production/3/en [http://perma.cc/0Fahh5bRgPe] (accessed Nov. 16, 2013) (ex- plaining that “[w]eight is measured in tonnes (generally in tonnes of live weight equivalent for aquatic animals, in wet weight for aquatic plants)”). 3 Mood, supra n. 1, at 72. 4 This Article will only speak to finfish (fish with fins). 5 Food & Agric. Org. of the U.N., Fisheries & Aquaculture Dept., Overview: Major Trends and Issues xvi (available at ftp://ftp.fao.org/FI/STAT/summary/YB_Overview.pdf (accessed Nov. 16, 2013)) [hereinafter FAO, Overview]. 6 Mood, supra n. 1, at 71. 7 Id. 8 Id. at 11. 9 Id. at 72. 10 Id. 11 FAO, Overview, supra n. 5, at xvii. 12 Id. 13 Natl. Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Feeds for Aquaculture, http://www .nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture/faqs/faq_feeds.html [http://perma.cc/05NHnnB2tXv] (ac- cessed Nov. 16, 2013); U.S. Dept. of Agric., Agric. Research Serv., Finding New Uses for Fish Byproducts, 55 Agric. Research Mag. 18, 18–19 (Apr. 2007) (available at http:// www.ars.usda.gov/is/ar/archive/apr07/fish0407.pdf [http://perma.cc/0CdQedttFN1] (ac- cessed Nov. 16, 2013)) [hereinafter NOAA, Feeds for Aquaculture]. 14 FAO, Overview, supra n. 5, at xvii. 15 NOAA, Feeds for Aquaculture, supra, n. 13. 16 Food & Agric. Org. of the U.N, Fisheries & Aquaculture Dept., The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2012 iii (available at http://www.fao.org/docrep/016/i2727e/ \\jciprod01\productn\L\LCA\20-1\LCA106.txt unknown Seq: 4 10-FEB-14 15:31 122 ANIMAL LAW [Vol. 20:119 pected to rise by 3%.17 By 2018, farmed fish are expected to exceed wild-caught fish for human consumption.18 Although the welfare of wild-caught fish should not be discounted, the rapid growth of the aquaculture sector necessitates consideration of the welfare of farm- raised fish. B. U.S. Overview The most common species of fish farmed in the United States (U.S.) are catfish, trout, salmon, tilapia, and hybrid striped bass,19 all
Recommended publications
  • Submission for the Inquiry Into the Impact of Animal Rights Activism on Victorian Agriculture
    AA SUBMISSION 340 Submission for the Inquiry into the Impact of Animal Rights Activism on Victorian Agriculture 1. Term of reference a. the type and prevalence of unauthorised activity on Victorian farms and related industries, and the application of existing legislation: In Victoria, animal cruelty – including, but not limited to, legalised cruelty – neglect and violations of animal protection laws are a reality of factory farming. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 (Vic) affords little protection to farm animals for a number of reasons, including the operation of Codes of Practice and the Livestock Management Act 2010 (Vic). The fact that farm animals do not have the same protection as companion animals justifies applying a regime of institutionalised and systematic cruelty to them every single day of their lives: see, for example, the undercover footage contained on Aussie Farms, ‘Australian Pig Farming: The Inside Story’ (2015) < http://www.aussiepigs.com.au/ >. It is deeply concerning and disturbing that in addition to the legalised cruelty farm animals are subjected to, farm animals are also subjected to illegal/unauthorised cruelty on Victorian farms. The type of unauthorised activity on Victorian farms is extremely heinous: this is evidenced by the fact that it transcends the systematic cruelty currently condoned by law and the fact that footage of incidences of such unauthorised activity is always horrific and condemned by the public at large. Indeed, speaking about footage of chickens being abused at Bridgewater Poultry earlier this year, even the Victorian Farmers Federation egg group president, Tony Nesci, told the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that he was horrified by the footage and livid at what had happened.
    [Show full text]
  • Legal Research Paper Series
    Legal Research Paper Series NON HUMAN ANIMALS AND THE LAW: A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ANIMAL LAW RESOURCES AT THE STANFORD LAW LIBRARY By Rita K. Lomio and J. Paul Lomio Research Paper No. 6 October 2005 Robert Crown Law Library Crown Quadrangle Stanford, California 94305-8612 NON HUMAN ANIMALS AND THE LAW: A BIBLIOGRPAHY OF ANIMAL LAW RESOURCES AT THE STANFORD LAW LIBRARY I. Books II. Reports III. Law Review Articles IV. Newspaper Articles (including legal newspapers) V. Sound Recordings and Films VI. Web Resources I. Books RESEARCH GUIDES AND BIBLIOGRAPHIES Hoffman, Piper, and the Harvard Student Animal Legal Defense Fund The Guide to Animal Law Resources Hollis, New Hampshire: Puritan Press, 1999 Reference KF 3841 G85 “As law students, we have found that although more resources are available and more people are involved that the case just a few years ago, locating the resource or the person we need in a particular situation remains difficult. The Guide to Animal Law Resources represents our attempt to collect in one place some of the resources a legal professional, law professor or law student might want and have a hard time finding.” Guide includes citations to organizations and internships, animal law court cases, a bibliography, law schools where animal law courses are taught, Internet resources, conferences and lawyers devoted to the cause. The International Institute for Animal Law A Bibliography of Animal Law Resources Chicago, Illinois: The International Institute for Animal Law, 2001 KF 3841 A1 B53 Kistler, John M. Animal Rights: A Subject Guide, Bibliography, and Internet Companion Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2000 HV 4708 K57 Bibliography divided into six subject areas: Animal Rights: General Works, Animal Natures, Fatal Uses of Animals, Nonfatal Uses of Animals, Animal Populations, and Animal Speculations.
    [Show full text]
  • Animal Rights Movement
    Animal Rights Movement The Animal Protection Movement. Prevention of cruelty to animals became an important movement in early 19th Century England, where it grew alongside the humanitarian current that advanced human rights, including the anti-slavery movement and later the movement for woman suffrage. The first anti-cruelty bill, intended to stop bull-baiting, was introduced in Parliament in 1800. In 1822 Colonel Richard Martin succeeded in passing an act in the House of Commons preventing cruelty to such larger domestic animals as horses and cattle; two years later he organized the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to help enforce the law. Queen Victoria commanded the addition of the prefix "Royal" to the Society in 1840. Following the British model, Henry Bergh organized the American SPCA in New York in 1866 after returning from his post in St. Petersburg as secretary to the American legation in Russia; he hoped it would become national in scope, but the ASPCA remained primarily an animal shelter program for New York City. Other SPCAs and Humane Societies were founded in the U.S. beginning in the late 1860s (often with support from abolitionists) with groups in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and San Francisco among the first. Originally concerned with enforcing anti-cruelty laws, they soon began running animal shelters along the lines of a model developed in Philadelphia. The American Humane Association (AHA), with divisions for children and animals, was founded in 1877, and emerged as the leading national advocate for animal protection and child protection services. As the scientific approach to medicine expanded, opposition grew to the use of animals in medical laboratory research -- particularly in the era before anesthetics and pain-killers became widely available.
    [Show full text]
  • Bringing Animal Protection Legislation Into Line with Its Purported Purposes: a Proposal for Equality Amongst Non- Human Animals
    Pace Environmental Law Review Volume 37 Issue 2 Spring 2020 Article 1 May 2020 Bringing Animal Protection Legislation Into Line With its Purported Purposes: A Proposal for Equality Amongst Non- Human Animals Jane Kotzmann Deakin University Gisela Nip Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pelr Part of the Animal Law Commons, Energy and Utilities Law Commons, Environmental Law Commons, International Law Commons, and the Natural Resources Law Commons Recommended Citation Jane Kotzmann and Gisela Nip, Bringing Animal Protection Legislation Into Line With its Purported Purposes: A Proposal for Equality Amongst Non-Human Animals, 37 Pace Envtl. L. Rev. 247 (2020) Available at: https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pelr/vol37/iss2/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Law at DigitalCommons@Pace. It has been accepted for inclusion in Pace Environmental Law Review by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Pace. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ARTICLE Bringing Animal Protection Legislation Into Line With its Purported Purposes: A Proposal for Equality Amongst Non-Human Animals JANE KOTZMANN* & GISELA NIP† The United States has a strong history of enacting laws to pro- tect animals from the pain and suffering inflicted by humans. In- deed, the passage of the Massachusetts’ Body of Liberties in 1641 made it the first country in the world to pass such laws. Neverthe- less, contemporary animal protection laws in all jurisdictions of the United States are limited in their ability to adequately realize their primary purpose of protecting animals from unnecessary or unjus- tifiable pain and suffering.
    [Show full text]
  • Animal Cruelty
    ANIMAL CRUELTY What is Animal Cruelty? A Humane Law Enforcement Perspective: What constitutes cruelty to animals? Excerpted from Walter Kilroy, former director, MSPCA Law Enforcement Ask a group of animal protectionists if hunting, trapping, calf roping, steer wrestling and a long list of other animal-use activities are cruel and you will probably get a resounding "yes." Ask the same questions of those who participate in these activities and you will likely get a resounding "no." Everyone sees things from the perspective of their own concerns and interests. And many kinds of people have an interest in animals. This dilemma has existed since the very beginning of the animal-protection movement. While much progress has been made for animals in our society, particularly during the past 50 years, the continuing absence of a widely accepted definition of cruelty to animals remains an enormous obstacle. Every activity that threatens the well being of animals - and that has not already been remedied through legislation - must be challenged and overcome on a largely individual basis. One definition, sometimes used by judiciary authorities, the MSPCA and other humane law enforcement officials, is found in Blacks Law Dictionary: Cruelty to Animals. The infliction of physical pain, suffering or death upon an animal, when not necessary for purposes of training or discipline or (in the case of death) to procure food or to release the animal from incurable suffering, but done wantonly, for mere sport, for the indulgence of a cruel and vindictive temper, or with reckless indifference to its pain. The single greatest obstacle to drafting, interpreting and more effectively enforcing animal-protection laws is the premise on which they are based.
    [Show full text]
  • A Look at the Animal Cruelty Regimes of the United States and Brazil with a Call for a New Animal Welfare Agency David N
    Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review Volume 43 | Issue 1 Article 2 2-12-2016 Don't Be Cruel (Anymore): A Look at the Animal Cruelty Regimes of the United States and Brazil with a Call for a New Animal Welfare Agency David N. Cassuto Pace Law School, [email protected] Cayleigh Eckhardt Pace Law School Follow this and additional works at: http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/ealr Part of the Agriculture Law Commons, Animal Law Commons, Comparative and Foreign Law Commons, and the Environmental Law Commons Recommended Citation David N. Cassuto & Cayleigh Eckhardt, Don't Be Cruel (Anymore): A Look at the Animal Cruelty Regimes of the United States and Brazil with a Call for a New Animal Welfare Agency, 43 B.C. Envtl. Aff. L. Rev. 1 (2016), http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/ealr/vol43/iss1/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at Digital Commons @ Boston College Law School. It has been accepted for inclusion in Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ Boston College Law School. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DON’T BE CRUEL (ANYMORE): A LOOK AT THE ANIMAL CRUELTY REGIMES OF THE UNITED STATES AND BRAZIL WITH A CALL FOR A NEW ANIMAL WELFARE AGENCY * DAV I D N. CASSUTO ** CAYLEIGH ECKHARDT No man who has passed a month in the death cells believes in cages for beasts. —Ezra Pound (from the Pisan Cantos) Abstract: In the United States and around the world, animals exploited for hu- man use suffer cruel and needless harm.
    [Show full text]
  • Fish and Pain Perception
    An HSUS Report: Fish and Pain Perception Stephanie Yue, Ph.D. * Abstract In several arenas—legislative, academic, corporate, advocacy, and scientific—the welfare of fish has increasingly attracted attention due in part to the expansion of the aquaculture industry, as well as the growing understanding that many handling methods, management systems, and slaughter practices can induce pain and therefore reduce animal welfare. Unlike other animals raised for human consumption, however, general consensus has not always afforded fish the presupposition that they are, in fact, capable of feeling pain. The typical arguments in support of or against attributing pain capacity to fish revolve around their neuroanatomical development, behavioral and cognitive complexity, physiology, and anatomy. After reviewing the current scientific evidence and exploring the many arguments, it is irrefutably substantiated that fish are capable of experiencing pain. Introduction Aquaculture, as defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is “the propagation and rearing of aquatic organisms in controlled or selected environments for any commercial, recreational or public purpose.”1 Described as the fastest-growing food production sector in the world, aquaculture’s growth is expected to continue.2 Indeed, simply to satisfy current worldwide fish consumption, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations predicted in 2006 that worldwide aquaculture production must nearly double in the next 25 years. 3 In the last two decades, the aquaculture industry † has expanded approximately 8% per year, and it is expected that the number of farmed fish will continue to rise, 4 perhaps surpassing the number of wild-caught animals from the world’s fisheries.
    [Show full text]
  • Justice and Non-Human Animals
    Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics 2016; 7(3): 1-11 Original article Justice and Non-Human Animals Robin Attfield 1 and Rebekah Humphreys 2 1. Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Cardiff University, Email: [email protected] 2. Lecturer in Philosophy, Trinity St. David’s University, Email: [email protected] Part I Abstract: It is widely held that moral obligations to non-human beings do not involve considerations of justice. For such a view, nonhuman interests are always prone to be trumped by human interests. Rawlsian contractarianism comprises an example of such a view. Through analysis of such theories, this essay highlights the problem of reconciling the claim that humans have obligations to non-humans with the claim that our treatment of the latter is not a matter of justice. We argue that if it is granted that the basic interests of non- human beings sometimes count for more than the peripheral interests of humans, then our understandings of obligation and of justice must be aligned, so that what we say about obligation is not countered by assumptions about the invariable priority of humans in matters of justice. We further consider whether such a conclusion can be endorsed by those who adopt certain alternative theories to contractarianism. We conclude that adherents of a range of theories including sentientism and biocentrism must accept that human interests can sometimes be superseded by animal interests, and that this applies not least in matters of justice. Keywords : justice, contractarianism, animal interests, moral theory, Rawls, moral agency Note: This essay is being published in two parts, Part I in the current number and Part II in the next number (BJB 2017, vol.
    [Show full text]
  • Wildlife Abusement Parks in Bali, Lombok and Gili Trawangan
    Wildlife abusement parks Wildlife entertainment tourism in Bali, Lombok and Gili Trawangan Contents Executive Summary 4 Wildlife tourism entertainment in Bali, Lombok and Gili Trawangan 4 Scale of animal suffering 4 Keeping wild animals in the wild 4 Introduction 6 The impact on animal welfare 7 Life in captivity 7 Inadequate care for captive wild animals 7 Using captive wild animals for entertainment 8 Dolphins in Entertainment 9 Dolphin facts 9 Forced interactions 9 Capture and transportation 10 Housing captive dolphins 11 Sea Turtles in Entertainment 12 Sea turtle facts 12 Captive sea turtle tourism 12 Human health and environmental concerns 12 Elephants in Entertainment 13 Tourism demands 13 The breaking and training process 13 Other Wild Animals in Entertainment 15 Tigers in entertainment 15 Photo-prop wildlife 15 ‘Kopi Luwak’: The Impact of Cruel Coffee 16 Origins 16 Current situation 16 Scope and Methodology 17 Study scope 17 Assessment tools 18 Results 22 Elephants 22 Tigers 23 Dolphins 24 Primates 26 Turtles 27 Civets 28 Additional general findings – all venues 29 Conclusions 30 References 32 Cover image: Chained monkeys, a side attraction at a turtle venue. 2 3 Executive summary Across the world, and throughout Asia, wild animals are Scale of animal suffering We are opening conversations to help achieve lasting 100% of the venues visited with captive being taken from the wild, or bred in captivity, to be used in • Of the venues visited, 100% of those with captive wild change for wild animals – to move away from exploitation the tourism entertainment industry. They will suffer at every elephants, tigers, dolphins or civet cats, and 80% of to venues with animal welfare and protection at their core.
    [Show full text]
  • Jallikattu’ in Tamil Nadu, India
    Vol. 11(3),pp. 20-30, March 2019 DOI: 10.5897/JMCS2018.0644 Article Number: 75BE85960500 ISSN: 2141-2545 Copyright © 2019 Journal of Media and Communication Author(s) retain the copyright of this article http://www.academicjournlas.org/JMCS Studies Review The voices of culture, conservation and the media event around bullfight ‘Jallikattu’ in Tamil Nadu, India Jayashree B1*, Arul Aram1 and Yasmin Ibrahim2 1Department of Media Science, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Anna University, Chennai, India. 2International Business and Communication, Queen Mary, University of London, UK. Received 1 December, 2018; Accepted 11 February, 2019 In the Southern Indian ‘State of Tamil Nadu’, the traditional Jallikattu sport involving young men competing against bulls is described as one of the ancient living sports in the modern era. Based on petitions by animal rights groups, the Supreme Court of India banned the ancient sport of Jallikattu in 2014 on the grounds of animal cruelty. The ban of this traditional sport ignited protests culminating in a large-scale 15-day movement across the state from January 8 to 23, 2017 with a massive mobilization on the world’s second longest beach, the Marina in the state capital of Chennai. Largely propelled by the youths, the ban was perceived as an attack on Tamil culture and identity. The anger was directed at foreign animal rights activism and an unstable political situation gained momentum with media attention. This resulted in the promulgation of a central Act to overturn the ban and facilitate conduct of the sport. This paper examines the role of social media rallying the public and activism against the Jallikattu ban.
    [Show full text]
  • Anti-Hunting Groups, Arguments and Tactics, July 2019
    Anti-Hunting Groups, Arguments and Tactics July 3, 2019 Authors Micah Peel Rob Shaul Anti-Hunting Groups, Arguments and Tactics Background: Hunting is declining as an outdoors activity in the United States, and overall the number of self-reported hunters is small part of the population. Hunter numbers in the United States dropped 15% from 2011 to 2016, according to a 2016 US Fish & Wildlife Service Report. In 2016, the report found 11.5 million hunters in the United States, of which 9.2 million are big game hunters. Big Game hunters are just 2.8% over the overall US Census estimated 2016 population of 323 million. Despite declining hunter numbers, and small percentage of the overall population which hunts, a 2017 Study found that strong majority of US Residents, 87%, agreed that it was acceptable to hunt for food. However, only 37% agreed that it was acceptable to hunt for a trophy. Recent successful predator anti-hunting campaigns, and widespread national condemnation of hunters who have killed trophy or exotic animals demonstrate that anti-hunting sentiment in the United States is increasing. As well, there was a 600% increase in people identifying as vegans in the U.S between 2014 and 2017. According to a report by research firm GlobalData, only 1% of U.S.consumers claimed to be vegan in 2014. And in 2017, that number rose to 6% - twice the number of big game hunters in the country. Vegans believe it’s unethical to eat animals, and opposed hunting for food. This study attempts to identify the most prominent and successful anti-hunting arguments, tactics and groups.
    [Show full text]
  • Guidelines on Conduct of Jallikattu Event
    1 GUIDELINES ON CONDUCT OF JALLIKATTU EVENT i. Jallikattu event involving bulls will be conducted in such places, as notified by the State Government in Tamil Nadu. ii. It is stated that the Government of Tamil Nadu has enacted Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act, 2017 and Tamil Nadu Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Conduct of Jallikattu) Rules, 2017 which allows the conduct of Jallikattu. As per Rule 3 of the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Conduct of Jallikattu) Rules, 2017, it specifies in detail about the procedure for conduct of Jallikattu and in addition to this, the Board is issuing the following guidelines along with the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India as given below: iii. (i)The Collectors of the districts in Tamilnadu shall ensure that the animals performing in the Jallikatu and related events are registered in accordance with Chapter V of the 1960 Act, and the rules thereunder and the requirements of the said Act are fulfilled. iv. (ii)The Collectors shall ensure that the conditions imposed in regard to the exhibition and participation of the animals shall be implemented and followed by the persons organising the events and the owners of the registered animals. v. (iii)In view of the fact that the respective Collectors will have the information about the Jallikatu and other events at least one month prior to the actual events, the Collectors shall notify the Chennai Chapter of Animal Welfare Board of India, (under acknowledgement), about the events to enable the Animal Welfare Board to depute its representatives/animal inspectors/volunteers to be observers for the events.
    [Show full text]