$JES 921 Book of Compassion Reverence For All Life Reference Book

Author(s): Pramoda Chitrabhanu, Pravin K Shah
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee

Page 38

5. - CRUELTY TOWARDS INDIA'S HOLY ANIMALS
The government shows no sign of moving against the illegal transport and slaughter. Before PETA's campaign, Indian animalrights groups had been trying for years to stop the brutal cattle trail. It's a multimillion-dollar business, and the kickbacks to politicians and officials are thought to be huge (The cows' "death trains" are operated by the state-owned railway). Banning cow slaughter in West Bengal and Kerala probably wouldn't help, as it would surely lead to an increase in the number of illegal, back street slaughter houses. New Delhi may simply find it easier to respond to other demands by animal lovers, like creating a national authority for protecting cows or introducing tougher penalties for cruelty to animals (under existing law, the fine is only about $1).
A simpler solution would be to lift the ban on cow slaughter throughout India, to deter the deadly, illegal herding across state lines. "Villagers can't afford to keep unproductive cows. They're not saints," says Bangalore animal welfare worker Suparna BaksiGanguly. "Slaughter has to be made more accessible--suppressing it, causes greater misery to the animals." But such a step would provoke the ire of cow lovers, and no political party is likely to risk that. So, in a land that venerates them, cows will continue to pay a high price for their holiness.
Write to TIME at mail@web.timeasia.com
olleen
THE BOOK OF COMPASSION
38