Happy life after retirement for military animals!

Taking note of protest by several animal welfare organisations against euthanasia of Army dogs, horses and mules and the Delhi High Court admitting a PIl in this regard, the Army is considering some options to do away with the practice. The options include urging NGOs to adopt these animals once they retire from active service and look after them till their natural death or the Army setting up its own rehabilitation centre. 

At present, the Army has 10,000 horses and mules and 1,000 dogs. Horses and mules form a crucial part of logistics for ferrying loads like food, ammunition and other items to the troops deployed in inaccessible areas in mountainous terrain of ladakh and the North-East — including Arunachal Pradesh. The troops there have to march for three days to reach their posts on the line of Actual Control (lAC) facing China. These animals are the lifeline to sustain soldiers during inclement weather when helicopters and transport planes cannot land at advanced landing grounds. Horses are also part of President’s Bodyguard.

Dogs are deployed to sniff out bombs and mines besides helping troops in tracking down militants in thick jungles of the North-East and alpine like woods in upper reaches of Kashmir. These dogs are specially trained at various centres before given active combat duty. On sniffing human presence in the jungles, these canines do not bark, but alert their handlers by turning their ears towards the source of the noise.

Given the arduous nature of their duties, horses generally serve for about 17 years while mules for 15 years and dogs for six to eight years. Once they retire, these animals are shifted to Army centres. Those animals which fall sick or are injured and not respond to treatment are put to sleep. Following strong objections by the Animal Welfare Board and more than 20,000 online petitions against euthanasia, the Army is mulling over handing over retired animals to interested NGOs, officials said. Once the policy is firmed up and given clearance by the Defence Ministry, the Army plans to advertise inviting NGOs to adopt animals.

The other option before the Army is to start its own rehabilitation centre, they said, adding this will put additional financial burden as infrastructure and manpower will have to be recruited to look after sick animals. Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) is now studying these options, officials said. Incidentally, RVC breeds horses and mules before they are deployed on active duty in forward areas.

The Government informed the High Court on July 9 this year that the Centre will “soon” come out with a policy to stop the euthanasia of service dogs.  Additional solicitor-general Sanjay Jain informed the court that the policy by the Defence Ministry would also “detail the arrangements” for the dogs after they retire or are found unfit or inactive.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath was hearing a PIl by advocate Sanjay Kumar Singh, who alleged that the “act of the Indian Army in killing their service stocks once their service years are over is so unreasonable...” The PIl sought a direction to the Ministry and the Army that service dogs are not killed except “when advised so as the last recourse”.

The court, which listed the matter for consideration on September 9, observed that “the respondents were admitting that the current practice of putting army service dogs to sleep was against the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.”Animal activists also protested against euthanasia of dogs and horses. Nearly 20,000 online petitions titled 'Indian Army - Give them medals, not death sentences,' and a “brutal use-and-throw policy” were sent to the Defence Ministry.

The Animal Welfare Board of India, asked the Defence Ministry to come out with a policy paper on retirement of Army animals that are currently put to sleep. This letter was in response to a reply by the Army to an RTI query. The Army said “horses and dogs are evaluated for their fitness with respect to the performance of duties. The animals, which are considered unfit for one-month active service, are disposed of by humane euthanasia,” it said. 

According to the animal-rights activists, it would be incorrect to say the animals are “useless. Even if a horse has failed a fitness test and cannot run races or be a part of the cavalry, that doesn't meant it has no purpose left. It can be trained to do less taxing work,” they said.Anshumali Vashisht, founding secretary of Animal Care Society, said the Society is planning to start horse riding lessons for children at this facility. learning on thoroughbred army horses can be a great experience for them too, he said.

Similarly, just because a dog cannot be employed in combat duty or anti-terror operations doesn't mean it can't be adopted. These are pedigree dogs, trained to follow commands. Either these dogs should be given ceremonial duties, such as guarding houses of VIPs and VVIPs, or they should be given to organisations like ours, which can facilitate their adoption, he added.

Animal Welfare Board Of India Chairman Major General RM Kharb(retired) said he had commanded two dog units as captain and major and had introduced Belgian Shepherds into the Army. He pointed to the huge contribution of Army dogs, especially in counter-insurgency operations.In a letter written to the Defence Ministry, he said “as the human race is evolving we are getting more and more conscious of our obligations to protect our sentient animal friends from pain and sufferings.”

Most nations have now formulated animal protection laws. Hunting of wildlife has been banned by most nations. Animals used for scientific research and experimentation are being strictly regulated. The concept of 3 R's (Refine, Reduce, Replace) is now being strictly implemented for animal experiments. In fact a fourth 'R', “Rehabilitation,” has been added for animals used for research and experimentation instead of euthanizing them after the experiments, he said.