KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 22
Animal rights activists working in the field of animal welfare have stated that a separate animal welfare act is essential for human welfare.
In an interaction organised in the valley with mediapersons today, Sneha's Care founder and animal rights activist Sneha Shrestha said, "The world is adopting one health strategy.
Which leads us to consider that animal health, environmental health, and human health are all interdependent and important, and that the earth can only be protected if the health and welfare of these three parties are maintained. Many changes have occurred since the beginning of the Animal Welfare Campaign in Nepal."
However, according to her, when it comes to the history of the animal welfare campaign, animal welfare laws were developed and implemented in many countries around the world a long time ago.
In the context of neighbouring India, which passed the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in 1960, established the Animal Welfare Board in 1962, and conducts animal welfare-related activities.
Similarly, she stated that there had always been a perceived need for a separate Animal Welfare Act in Nepal to prevent cruelty to animals as well as to provide a legal foundation for promoting animal welfare.
"We have been emphasising the importance of an Animal Welfare Act throughout the campaign, and it's still in progress," she said. "With the ongoing efforts of animal welfare activists, the government agreed that an Animal Welfare Act was required in Nepal, and the Nepal Government Council of Ministers agreed in principle on November 18, 2021, with a draft of the act now being discussed as a bill in the Ministry of Law. Given Nepal's current state of animal welfare, an Animal Welfare Act is clearly needed and important."
She further said, "It is a welcome step forward. However, it is critical to have a positive discussion about the provisions mentioned in the long-awaited act, which is finally being implemented. Because there is still room for timely amendments to the act, it is necessary to promulgate it now."
Given that the provisions proposed in the draft are being created by inciting disputes and disagreements, it appears that an attempt has been made to initiate a discussion about the bill in the form of a unified law, according to Shrestha.
She stated that if a separate Animal Welfare Act is not enacted, but rather in a unified form, it will be unable to address animal welfare issues, causing confusion in implementation and rendering the Act ineffective.
"As a result, we sincerely request that the Animal Welfare Act not be enacted as a unified act," she said, adding that stakeholders, including the ministries and parliamentary committees in charge of drafting a separate Animal Welfare Act, should be vigilant about it.