Bullocks

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Bullocks work relentlessly throughout the day, in sun and rain, through the heavy traffic on the streets. They are beaten mercilessly and kicked, to make them walk faster or to run. On top of it, they have no shelter where they can rest after a hard day's work. They usually spend the night on the street tied to their own carts, where they have no protection from the rain. Their resting place is such that they cannot even sit down, as the area where they are tied is absolutely dirty with their own muck. So all their life they face the brunt of a hot sun and heavy rain. Being people of limited means, the bullock cart "owners" do not take good care of their animals that slave for them. They rarely take them to vets, and instead treat them with their own herbal medicines. They never vaccinate them, with the result during the monsoon season they suffer from Foot & Mouth Disease or HS & BQ (Haemorrhaegic Septicemia & Black Quarter) - both very painful conditions. The saddest part of the story is that after working so hard all their lives, they never get any retirement. When they become old and unproductive, they land in the slaughter houses. This is how we treat these animals, who work without any expectation of wages, bonus, weekly holidays, etc. All they ask for is a little kindness and compassion.

To help these animals what we need to do is:

  •  It must be made compulsory for all these cart owners to carry fitness certificates of the bullocks issued by SPCA. That will make it necessary for every cart "owner" to bring his animal to SPCA for a check up, in order to obtain such a certificate.
  • The oil companies that use bullocks to cart kerosene, must provide the animals with a decent shed to house them when they are not working.  These oil companies must treat these animals as they would treat their contract workers, and provide them with basic needs like shelter, food, water and medical aid.
  • The bullock carts should have rubber tyres thereby reducing the neck load on the bullock.
Last modified: Tuesday, 5 June 2012, 7:23 AM