Wednesday, 8 February 2012

Cattle rescued from overloaded truck

CHENNAI: Animal welfare activists and police rescued 26 buffaloes and two bulls that were being transported for slaughter from Andhra Pradesh to Kerala on Tuesday evening.


Chinny Krishna, vice-chairman of the Animal Welfare Board of India, was en route to Chengelpet when he spotted a truck overloaded with cattle. "I tried stopping the vehicle at the Chengalpet toll gate but they got away," said Krishna.


He followed the truck as the driver took it off the highway into a wooded area and threw them out of the lorry. "There were 33 buffaloes, including two pregnant buffaloes, a lactating mother and a calf, as well as two bulls. They were in terrible shape as they were without food and water," said Krishna, who alerted the highway patrol and Blue Cross. The animals were rounded up by Blue Cross officials.


"We recovered 26 buffaloes and two bulls but the other animals ran away," said sub-inspector P Mani, who works with the highway patrol.


The animals were crammed into one truck in violation of the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the Transport of Animals Rules, 1978, and the Indian Penal Code. "As per the transport rules, a truck can carry six animals as a cow or bull needs two square metres of space," says Krishna. "But we find overloaded trucks carrying cattle nearly every day on NH45 and NH4."


Dawn Williams, general manager of Blue Cross, has filed a complaint with the Chengalpet taluk police station. 

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