Combined Issue The Animal Welfare Board of India is an umbrella of the SPCAs / AWOs and animal welfare workers. The Board encourages animal welfare activities, Newsletter Vol No. 7 Issue No. 10 Re.1/- RNI No. TNBIL2003/10675 September 2010 - March 2011 advices the Central and State Governments on issues relating to Animal Welfare, particularly the prevention of cruelty to animals, and also helps to formulate animal welfare WVS INTERNATIONAL TRAINING policies / legislations. CENTER OPENED MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN Udhagamandalam: The opening of task. commitment to an international training centre of the upgrade the Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) G e n e r a l A professional skills at Aruvankadu, near here, marked the K h a r b through continuing observation of the World Rabies Day emphasized the education for its staff are the in the district on Sep. 28, 2010. need to implement hallmarks of a mature participatory ABC organisation, and I am proud to engage the AWBI Inaugurating the facility, the programmes, and in partnering with several organisations, both Chairman, Animal Welfare Board of that civic bodies government and in the NGO sectors, to offer India (AWBI), Major General (Retd) should be a tremendous variety of learning R.M. Kharb, AVSM pointed out that educated and opportunities for those working with animals. rabies in humans and animals is a sensitized to the relationship People generally make the mistake major source of concern particularly of thinking and believing that since they in rural parts of India on account of between street have already received a diploma or a illiteracy, lack of facilities and lack of dog sterilization, certificate their “school days” are over. awareness about dog bite prevention rabies inoculation, Teachers also sometimes hold a mistaken and post-bite precautions. dogs’ territoriality, notion that they are in a significantly and human different position than their students. But Underscoring the need to garbage as food the fact of the matter is that all of us are, or Centre, Dr. Ilona Otter said that in India address the problem, General Kharb source. False notions about stray should be, on a learning spree throughout cruelty to dogs stems from fear of said that though rabies is fatal it is dogs should be dispelled. our lives. Whether formal training or rabies. However ridding the country informal or on-the-job learning, we all need preventable. Pointing out that of the dreaded disease is possible. the fuel for professional growth to remain vaccination of dogs was the key to The Chief Executive, WVS Dr. not only competitive in our fields, but also success, he said that AWBI had Luke Gamble said that the aim of the to remain personally inspired. The Chairman, WVS, India, successfully implemented Animal centre is to train like-minded people Shri Nigel Otter said that mass Birth Control (ABC) programmes and added that the WVS worked with In this Newsletter as also in other vaccination of dogs has been shown among stray dogs in various places over 300 associations in different AWBI publications you can read about the to be the most cost-effective method spectrum of programs and I sincerely hope including Chennai. He estimated that parts of the World. of preventing human rabies cases you will consider attending or sending one with possibly 20 million dogs in India, and is the method of choice in most of your colleagues to upgrade his / her making India rabies free is a huge The Clinical Director of the skills. These training programmes offer of the developed countries. (IPAN) unique social opportunities as well, enabling participants to meet their counterparts from other fields or organisations to share experiences, ideas, AWBI’S MISSION TO ENFORCE AND and innovations. Many of these relationships result in easier modes of future contact—a quick phone call to compare notes on a difficult veterinary STRENGTHEN THE PCA ACT, 1960 medicine case; a question about handling a particular behavior problem in a dog. New Delhi: From the dawn of civilization animals have contributed immensely to the welfare of humanity. Humanity has used and These can be life-saving information- abused animals to fulfill its need and greed. However, with growing awareness of the sentience—that is, the sensitivity and gathering contacts also and the organized, formal courses provide a framework for complexity of animals as feelingful, unlimited growth, informal and highly AWBI RECONSTITUTED practical pursuit of knowledge and ideas. emotional beings—many nations have GOVT. NOMINATES MAJ.GEN.(RETD.) DR. R.M.KHARB A.V.S.M. enacted animal protection laws which The spirit of learning teaches us to AS CHAIRMAN AND DR. S. CHINNY KRISHNA AS VICE CHAIRMAN oblige people to treat fellow animals with have respect for knowledge and the respect and compassion and protect and appreciation that quantum progress is CHENNAI: The Ministry of Delhi; Dr. Sunil Kumar, preserve wildlife. impossible without continuous learning. The Environment & Forests, New Delhi has Dy.Director Incharge Central Research Animal Welfare Board of India is one of reconstituted the Animal Welfare Board The 20 th century saw the India’s progressive institutions in its of India (AWBI) vide Govt. of India Institute, NOIDA; Dr.(Mrs.) M.Lahkar, emergence of an animal welfare recognition of the importance of continuing Notification No.S.O.2882(E) Professor Govt. education, and I look forward in the future to dt.1.12.2010. Maj. General (Retd.) Dr. movement, reaching beyond religious a buffet of opportunities through which each Medical College, R.M. Kharb, A.V.S.M., has been borders into ethics-based philosophical of us can find a course, seminar or workshop Gauhati; Smt. Amala spheres in many parts of the world. which gives us a chance to grow. nominated as the Chairman and Dr. S. Akkineni, Blue Cross of Hyderabad, Chinny Krishna as Vice Chairman of Hyderabad; Smt. Norma Alvares, Indian culture is based in part on the A monthly newsletter of the the AWBI. People for Animals, Goa; Shri Guljari concept of Ahimsa (non- Violence ANIMAL WELFARE BOARD OF INDIA Lal Soni, Fatehpur Rajasthan against all living beings. Formalising this Min. of Environment & Forests, Govt. of India The following Members have Pinjarapole Society, Rajasthan; Mrs. concept as law, Article 51-A(g) of the Published by also been nominated to the Board : Anjali Sharma, SPCA Noida; Shri Constitution of India holds that “It shall ANIMAL WELFARE BOARD OF INDIA Doulat Jain, SPCA Chennai; Dr. rd Director General of Forests, MoEF, the be the fundamental duty of every 13/1, 3 Seaward Road, PO Box : 8672, J.C.Kochar, SPCA Chandigarh; Dr. Valmiki Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai - 600 041 Animal Husbandry Commissioner, citizen of India to protect and improve Phone: 044-24454935, 24454958 Fax: 044-24454330 Ministry of Agriculture New Delhi, Shri Arun Varma, Ex.ADG, ICAR, NOIDA. E-mail: [email protected]. Websit: www.awbi.org One representative of Municipal the Natural Environment, including Sada Kant, IAS Joint Secretary forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife and Ministry of Home Affairs; Shri Corporation of Kolkata, one Editorial Team representative of Municipal to have Compassion for all living A.K.Srivastava, Inspector General of Assistant Secretary : Shri S.Vinod Kumaar Corporation of Gurgaon and one creatures”. India became one of the first Editor of Publications : Shri R.B.Chaudhary Forests (Wildlife) MoEF; Shri Hem representative from HRD Ministry. Assistant Editors : Shri Rajesh Kaushik Pande, IAS, Joint Secretary, MoEF; nations in the world to enact our Smt. Prasanna Narayanan Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in Shri Rajiv Gupta IAS, Govt. of The tenure of the reconstituted Printed by C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre Uttrakhand; Shri Asgar Samoon, IAS, 1960 for the promotion of animal welfare 1, Eldams Road, Alwarpet, Chennai - 600 018. Board is for a period of three years with Phone: 044-24337023/24346526/24359366 Govt. of J & K; Ms.Jasjit Purewal, New effect from 1st Dec. 2010 (AWBI) in general and for the purpose of Fax : 044-24320756 protecting animals from being subjected to unnecessary pain and suffering. Subsequently various rules have been DOG BREEDING IN A added, and amendments are currently SCIENTIFIC WAY: under consideration to strengthen the PCA’s protection of animals against Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Dr. R.M. Kharb, cruelty and abuse. AVSM Ahmedabad: The recent Gujarat police An example of specific rules, is proposal to let police dogs mate pet dogs the section which regulates the use of for free has been criticised by dog lovers animals in sports and entertainment, (for and others. The Animal Welfare Board example, advertisements, films, and of India (AWBI) Chairman Maj. Gen. circuses). The AWBI is the prescribed (Retd.) RM Kharb ,AVSM, held a authority for the performing animals meeting with Director General of Police, registration rules. These laws and rules Gujarat, Shri S S Khandwawala on this are helpful in the AWBI’s mission to ban issue. the so-called “sport” of jallikattu, which is the lead story in our upcoming Animal Gen. Kharb said that breeding of Citizen magazine. Many specific police dogs should be done in a scientific guidelines from the PCA are available on While Societies for the We must seek ways, together, to way within their own community and not AWBI’s website, www.awbi.org. Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have recruit more citizens into the family of with civilian dogs. Police dogs are experts been established in many regions. The animal protectors, so that in this “land of in detecting explosives and carrying out other police operations. These traits are The government has banned the potency of these organisations is ahimsa” our fellow animals no longer genetically passed on to their pups.