Welfare Reforms (Policy)
WHAT WE DO
Model district - Bathinda
FIAPO is building a model district that is responsive to the needs of animals in Bathinda, Punjab. The project aims to put in place structural mechanisms for animal protection. At the heart of the model district programme is the revival of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Bathinda.
Why SPCAs?
In 2001, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Rules mandated establishing an SPCA in every district nationwide. SPCAs were intended to protect animals from cruelty, accidents, and human-animal conflicts. The Supreme Court reinforced this in 2008, directing states to set up Animal Welfare Boards and SPCAs.
Ideally, each SPCA should establish shelters, work with local police, treat animal victims, and have an elected Board, administrator, veterinarian, and inspectors. However, decades later, most districts lack functional SPCAs.
Achievements
The SPCA in Bathinda has been reconstituted and holds regular meetings
The Animal Birth Control programme, which had not be conducted in Bathinda district for years, has started
ABC Monitoring Committee has been formed and meets regularly
Bathinda is one of the two districts chosen in Punjab to be made stray cattle free. A gaushala will be identified and given adequate resources to care for the animals.
Farmed animals
FIAPO works to end the suffering of animals farmed for food.
Why farmed animals
India has the largest number of animals farmed in appalling conditions. India's livestock sector is the largest in the world, employing two-thirds of the country's rural population. The country’s dairy industry is the largest in the world. Production and per capita consumption of dairy, eggs, chicken, meat and fish is rising.
The condition of egg-laying or broiler hens, animals slaughtered for meat, and cows in the dairy industry is not human Yet the suffering of farmed animals is largely invisible or normalised.
Welfare of Dairy Animals
Cattle-logue Film
India is home to the largest bovine population in the world and it is the largest producer of milk. Dairy animals suffer a great deal due to the lack of regulations in this sector.
In 2020, FIAPO conducted an investigation into 451 dairies across 10 of India’s largest milk-producing states. The investigation exposed the continued absence of regulation in the dairy industry, which affects animals, consumers, and the environment. Dairy animals live under intensive confinement in farms, with no access to grazing, enduring painful animal husbandry procedures.
The key findings of the investigation were:
Every second dairy (47% of dairies surveyed) was using oxytocin, a hormone that induces painful labour pains in cows, designed to increase milk output.
56% of dairies milk even sick cows.
79% of dairies keep cows tethered all day.
Almost all dairies sell their male calves within three months of birth, or leave them to die.
Welfare of Fishes
India is the third largest fish producing and second largest aquaculture country in the world. In keeping with this, fish consumption has been rising exponentially. But what are the conditions under which fish are farmed in India?
FIAPO’s investigation into 161 freshwater aquaculture farms in nine states and one Union Territory, and 80 brackish water farms in five states and one UT revealed the following alarming conditions:
Hazardous levels of heavy metals such as lead and cadmium in all water samples
Dissolved oxygen consistently below acceptable levels in almost all states
High stocking density in farms raising catfish and pangasius
Fish dragged to the land by drag netting and asphyxiated to death
Antibiotics prophylactically used in 40% of farms to prevent diseases
No effluent treatment in any of the fish farms and none, in 95% of shrimp farms
Goals
FIAPO aims to effect change:
In the way animals are housed and handled in dairies
To address cruel practices in the dairy industry, particularly relating to disbudding/ dehorning and cruelty towards male calves
To create evidence around and promote understanding of diseases of dairy animals – specifically Bovine Tuberculosis and antimicrobial resistance
To get states to adopt and implement the National Green Tribunal guidelines on dairies and gaushalas
FIAPO’s dairy reports:
Goals
FIAPO seeks to effect policy change that protects the lives of fishes and creates wider visibility for fish sentience among stakeholders, consumers, and farmers.
FIAPO seeks to bring fishes into the conversation on animal welfare, as this affects the quality of life of not just fishes, but also human and environmental health.
We hold webinars on fish sentience, cognition, and intelligence with leading fish experts across the world. We closely work with the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, departments of fisheries, and government research centres on aquaculture, to put fish welfare on the map.
Pilot project with fish farmers in Andhra Pradesh
In September 2021, FIAPO started a project to bring about concrete changes to the lives of fishes farmed for food. We chose Andhra Pradesh since it is the largest fish and shrimp producing state. Within the state, we picked three districts that are predominant in aquaculture: East Godavari, West Godavari, and Eluru. We have been intensively working in eight villages, with 70 farmers, covering 5 million fishes, approximately.
Our short-term goals for the project were:
Engage farmers to adopt welfare-friendly measures;
Build relationships with fish farmers by providing emergency services during disease outbreaks and general ailments and save the lives of thousands of fishes;
Build the capacity of farmers and other stakeholders and provide evidence-based information and support to farmers;
Drive advocacy to address pressing fish welfare issues.
The project gave us insights into the welfare conditions of fishes, as well as the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour of fish farmers.
Achievements
Prior to our intervention, none of the farmers were testing for water quality
Now, three out of 10 farmers check dissolved oxygen levels every day
Nine out of 10 farmers check pH, Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates levels every week
None of the farmers previously had water testing kits
Now, three out of 10 farmers have bought water testing kits to monitor pH, Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates
70% of farmers were overfeeding the fishes, and the rest, under-feeding them
Nine out of 10 farmers have now adopted optimum feeding practices
Previously, none of the farmers were using any biosecurity practices, but now:
Two out of 10 farmers use biosecurity measures to prevent diseases
Overstocking of fishes is a major issue in aquaculture, and now, with increased awareness on the hazards of overstocking:
Five out of 10 farmers avoid overstocking
Previously, farmers were reusing water for successive fish cultures, but now:
Four out of 10 farmers use fresh water for each culture
Companion animals
FIAPO works to increase awareness about dog behaviour, dog bites, and rabies; and on Animal Birth Control (ABC) as a solution, among the public.
We protect the rights of street dogs, strengthen the implementation of animal birth control, and support NGOs in protecting the rights of animals within communities and residents welfare associations.
In xxxx, FIAPO conducted a Rabies Free India campaign. As part of this campaign, 455 community caretakers were nurtured to become first responders in any distress situation in Trivandrum, Ernakulam, Lucknow, and Chandigarh. Several volunteers were inducted to be a part of the Rabies Free India model in these districts.
FIAPO also published In Their Own Right, Calling for Parity in Law for Animal Victims of Crimes: a study on cruelty cases reported in a 10-year-period that showed the abysmal rates of conviction or punishment.
Wild animals in captivity
Animals undergo extremely physical and psychological suffering when they are held captive and confined for the entertainment of human beings. Not only are they removed from their natural habitats and social structures, but they are also forced to live in artificial, stressful, and downright painful conditions that deprive them of mental and physical stimulation.
FIAPO raises awareness, campaigns, advocates and goes to court to ban archaic and inhuman forms of entertainment involving animals.
Some of our most significant campaigns in this space are:
End Circus Suffering
Ban Dolphin Captivity
Read about our work on Captive Elephants
End Circus Suffering
Circuses, zoos, aquariums, dog fighting, hunting, fishing, horse racing, bullfighting, all keep animals in captivity and use them against their will for human entertainment. A strategic area for FIAPO is to end the use of animals for sacrifice, entertainment, and work.
FIAPO launched a national campaign to end the suffering of all animals in circuses.
As per the law, circuses performing with animals in India are required to be registered with the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) under the Performing Animal Registration Rules, 2001, as well as with the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) under the Recognition of Zoo Rules, 2009, if performing with exotic animals.
However, most circuses in the country either do not possess the paperwork or operate in blatant violation of the conditions of registration. FIAPO launched a campaign with partner organisations to end the use of animals in captivity by lobbying the Government and local authorities, raising awareness, generating public opinion, and initiating direct action.
In its initial phase, the campaign rescued 167 animals from 13 circuses across India and mobilised 114 activists from 45 organisations across 18 states. The findings of our collective investigations into individual circuses were published as a report, which can be downloaded here.
The End Circus Suffering campaign gathered support from lawmakers, advocates and members of the entertainment industry. Actor Raveena Tandon wrote to the government to amend legislation to exclude animals from circuses. She was joined by another actor, Dia Mirza, Members of Parliament Dr Shashi Tharoor, Vinod Chavda, BC Khanduri, KC Ramamurthy, Butta Renuka and advocate Prashant Bhushan. Read their letter here.
After more than four years of efforts and work with the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, the ministry published draft rules that, if finalised, would ban all animal circuses in India.
Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals
Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals
Ban Dolphin Captivity
In 2013, FIAPO achieved a historic victory for all cetaceans, particularly dolphins, through its “Ban Captive Dolphins” campaign, where the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoFECC) recognised all cetaceans as nonhuman persons deeming them “extremely intelligent” with “highly developed social structures.”
The campaign “Ban Captive Dolphins” was launched in partnership with Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, Earth Island Institute’s Dolphin Project, Global Greengrants Fund, and the Born Free Foundation. FIAPO recognised the urgency to launch a campaign, when proposals arose to establish captive cetacean facilities in India for commercial entertainment in the states of Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Delhi, and Goa.
FIAPO’s interactions with the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) led them to issue a statement to all state governments barring them from issuing performance certificates as required by the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
Petitioning the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) of India resulted in the CZA issuing a statement that captive dolphin facilities would be classed as ‘zoos’ and would require compliance with ‘zoo guidelines’ and also require prior permission from the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India.
The campaign was run in parallel segments of preventive and mobilisation actions from 2012-2013. Outreach activities were conducted through social media, participation in environment and wildlife-centric festivals, global and national print media and radio, concentrating focus on the physical and psychological stresses suffered by marine mammals during capture and captivity.
As a result of FIAPO’s well-knit public outreach, animal protectors in several cities formed their own groups to develop innovative ideas to sensitise people to the issues of keeping dolphins in captivity, including a coalition of environmentalists in Kerala and a local group in Goa.
Working animals
India is home to 120,000 donkeys, of which 23,000 are in Rajasthan, and 18,000 in Maharashtra, according to the 20th Livestock Census. Donkeys are owned by some of the most marginalised and socially deprived communities, who see the animals as an asset that increases productivity.
In 2024, with support from a public fundraising campaign launched through Milaap and India Animal Fund, FIAPO started a project to end the suffering of working donkeys in Beed (which has donkeys working at brick kilns) and Nanded (where donkeys are used to carry sacks of sand from the dry river bed) districts of Marathwada, Maharashtra. FIAPO is partnering with Dharma Donkey Sanctuary to implement this project.
We aim to:
Improve the health of donkeys, focusing on body condition scores, vaccination coverage, and wound management;
Reduce malpractices through education and awareness among owners and stakeholders;
Foster innovation to alleviate the burden on donkeys in daily activities;
Build the capacity of local organisations to independently work on improving the condition of working donkeys; and
Identify and train volunteers to act as Animal Advocates, linking them with the district Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).