Activists, NGOs highlight poor condition of slaughterhouse

Mumbai: Ahead of Bakri Id, more than 1.24 lakh goats and sheep, along with 2,700 buffaloes, have been brought in from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Assam to be slaughtered at the Deonar abattoir. Animal rights activists and NGOs visited the slaughterhouse Saturday, and have written to the civic authorities highlighting the poor condition of the slaughterhouse.

NGO People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) visited Mumbai’s Deonar slaughterhouse and documented shocking cruelty and rampant violation of animal protection laws, including the compendium of acts and rules on animal transport and slaughter as mandated by a 2017 order of the Supreme Court of India.

The group has also sent letters to senior officials of the Maharashtra government, Mumbai police, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Maharashtra State Animal Welfare Board, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Animal Welfare Board of India, and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, demanding that they carry out immediate inspection of the slaughterhouse and enforce laws regarding animal transport and slaughter at the facility.

A recorded admission by a worker that animals routinely die during transport because of severe crowding and lack of care, is also with the animal rights group. Bodies of dead buffaloes being moved through the market premises by a bulldozer has also been photographed to strengthen the evidence as to how cruelly the animals are cramped in vehicles transporting them to the abattoir, leading to painful deaths en route or  on arrival at the Deonar slaughterhouse.

PETA India chief executive officer (CEO) Dr Manilal Valliyate said, “We have visited the slaughterhouse and our findings are that animals routinely die during transport because of severe crowding and lack of care; bodies of dead buffaloes are moved in the market premises by bulldozers, and a shed full of dead bodies of buffaloes, goats and sheep is lying there.”

When asked about the allegations made by NGOs regarding insufficient arrangements and lack of cleanliness at the Deonar abattoir, Dr Yogesh Shetye, general manager at the abattoir, said, “There are sufficient arrangements but incessant rains have messed up everything. Still, the BMC has set up seven medical camps manned by 14 doctors to treat goats who are suffering.”

The civic body has also deployed over 300 staff members to keep the Deonar abattoir grounds clean. “Most of the cattle are exhausted after travelling a long distance. Some have fallen ill due to a change in the weather and cold. We are dusting bleaching powder every few hours to prevent infection,” Dr Shetye added.

Over 10,000 goats fall ill at Deonar due to heavy rain

More than 10,000 goats have been kept separately at the civic-run Deonar abattoir after they fell ill despite claims of elaborate arrangements for their upkeep ahead of Bakri Id Monday. Due to several animals taking sick, there is fear that their prices may fall significantly.

The goats allegedly took sick due to the incessant rain, travelling for long hours and unclean water being provided to them for drinking purposes. The veterinarians treating them said that most of the goats were suffering from diarrhoea, cold, cough and fever among other ailments.

According to veterinarians deployed at the site by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to man clinics, “The goats are suffering from diarrhoea, cold, cough and fever. This is because of the unhealthy conditions in which they have been kept for so long by their owners.”

The shepherds who have come from various parts of the country said that their goats were ill and this might affect sales. A goat seller from Rajasthan, Bilal Khan, said, “Each of my goats costs around Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000 but due to the rain and unhealthy conditions, I may not get the price quoted for my goats.”

The BMC has set up seven medical camps manned by 14 doctors to treat the goats. The civic body has also deployed over 300 staff members to keep the Deonar abattoir grounds clean however the arrangements are woefully inadequate, according to animal activists.

Dr Yogesh Shetye, general manager, Deonar abattoir, said, that they were doing their best and that this year, they expected approximately over two lakh sheep and goats and over 10,000 bovines to be traded at the abattoir.