Voice for the voiceless: Advocacy for amplifying unheard animal voices | Bushra Tupke | TEDxILSLaw

Key Concepts

Animal rescue, animal welfare, animal cruelty (direct, relocation, sexual assault, breeding/neglect, entertainment/fashion industry, feeder harassment), animal rights, PCA Act 1960, Wildlife Protection Act 1972, Animal Birth Control Rules 2023, Animal Welfare Board of India, Article 21 (right to life with dignity), Section 377 IPC, catalyst for change, adoption, fostering, sponsoring, volunteering, donating, educating.

The Genesis of Animal Advocacy

The speaker recounts a pivotal moment at age 15 when encountering a severely injured dog. Unable to find immediate help, she used her father's phone to search online and connected with "Dog Friendly Pune" on Facebook. This led to the involvement of a rescuer named Anen, who explained the animal rescue process. Although the dog tragically died, this experience ignited a passion for animal welfare. The speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing that "other eyes than ours were made to look on the flowers," highlighting the inherent right of all creatures to delight.

Defining Animal Rescue and Welfare

The speaker clarifies the distinction between animal rescue and animal welfare.

• Animal Rescue: Direct, on-the-ground involvement in saving animals from physical or other harm. Examples include vaccination, adoption, and sterilization.
• Animal Welfare: The conduct of human beings concerning the safeguard and rights of animals, encompassing both legal frameworks and the "law of nature."

The speaker argues that animal welfare extends beyond the vegetarian/non-vegetarian debate and focuses on the treatment of animals coexisting in our society.

Forms of Animal Cruelty

The speaker details various forms of animal cruelty, emphasizing their prevalence and impact:

1. Direct Animal Cruelty: Intentional acts of harm, including killing, poisoning, overriding, and beating.
2. Relocation: Abandoning animals in unfamiliar territories, leading to starvation, attacks, and death due to their territorial nature.
3. Sexual Assault: Acknowledging the underreported nature of animal sexual assault, citing a case of a four-month-old puppy being raped in Pune. The speaker highlights the difficulty in reporting such crimes due to the victim's inability to speak and the low reporting rates of sexual assault against women in the country.
4. Breeding and Neglect: Treating animals as status symbols, breeding them for profit, and neglecting them after their "purpose" is served. Animals are forced to mate repeatedly, even in late stages of life, with offspring sold as young as 25 days old.
5. Entertainment and Fashion Industry: Exploiting animals for entertainment and using animal products for fashion, despite readily available alternatives.
6. Feeder Harassment: Targeting individuals who care for stray animals, often due to an inability to directly harm the animals themselves. This is described as a commonly reported problem in animal welfare.

Legal Framework and its Shortcomings

The speaker outlines the key legal instruments governing animal welfare in India:

• Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA) 1960: A primary legislation addressing animal cruelty. However, the speaker criticizes its outdated nature, citing the minimal penalties (6 months imprisonment and a fine of ₹50) as insufficient deterrents.
• Wildlife Protection Act 1972: Protects wild animals.
• Animal Birth Control Rules 2023: Regulates animal birth control programs.
• Animal Welfare Board of India: A statutory body established by the central government to oversee animal welfare laws.

The speaker mentions the landmark case of Animal Welfare Board of India vs. Nagaraja (Jallikattu case), where the Supreme Court included animals under the ambit of Article 21 (right to life with dignity), albeit with exceptions.

The speaker points out a significant setback: the decriminalization of "unnatural sex" under Section 377 of the IPC also decriminalized sexual assault against animals, reducing the punishment to a mere ₹50 fine under the PCA Act.

The Need for Change and a Catalyst

The speaker argues that the superiority complex of human beings leads to the degradation of animals. She highlights the narrow scope of laws protecting animals compared to those protecting humans. She shares her personal experience of facing dismissive attitudes from authorities when reporting animal cruelty, illustrating the lack of enforcement and societal indifference.

The speaker emphasizes the societal harm caused by neglecting animal cruelty, citing research linking it to bullying, domestic abuse, and violent criminal behavior. She quotes Mahatma Gandhi: "The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

The speaker stresses the need for a "catalyst" to transform awareness into action, laws into enforcement, and individuals into movements. She challenges the "it's not my problem" mindset and emphasizes that even small actions can spark significant change.

How to Be a Catalyst

The speaker provides actionable steps for individuals to become catalysts for change:

1. Adopt: Provide homes for animals from shelters.
2. Foster: Offer temporary care until animals recover or find permanent homes.
3. Sponsor: Provide financial support for treatment and food.
4. Volunteer: Participate in feeding drives, sterilization programs, and shelter activities.
5. Donate: Contribute financially, even small amounts.
6. Educate: Raise awareness about animal welfare issues and challenge harmful behaviors. Intervene when witnessing cruelty and involve organizations or authorities when necessary.

The speaker concludes with a call to action, urging everyone to be the voice for the voiceless and the catalyst for change, emphasizing that if a 15-year-old girl could make a difference, so can anyone.