Mules in Kedarnath are overworked, beaten black and blue, drugged and left to die
The Issue
A check by a leading national publication and simultaneous uploading of umpteen videos on social media revealed that mules on the Char Dham yatra's Kedarnath route were being worked to death, flogged and often drugged to make them carry more load and with greater frequency. As per the report, over 60 mules had died in the first 20 days of the yatra due to strenuous conditions as handlers and owners were in a rush to make the most of the unprecedented footfall due to the "backlog" created by two years of the pandemic.
Apparantly after the report, animal husbandry Minister Saurabh Bahuguna had sent an advisory to all mule-handlers to spare the animals such overexertion, but nothing seems to have changed on the ground. Local residents, even some pilgrims, said that the animals were often "beaten mercilessly with sticks and given narcotics" to keep them going. Many of the animal handlers were finding ways to bypass rules that mandated only one trip on the trek for each mule. The earlier route -- before the 2013 floods -- had four rest and check-up stops along the way for animals. The new route has none and it has become a common sight to see the animals slipping, especially on the way down, because of the rains and the terrain. It is more than painful to see mules hitting its muzzle on the ground with no strength to move, but the handler would just hit the animal with a stick so that it wouldn't stop.
Basis the report, officials from the Rudraprayag chief veterinary office was posted at the beginning of the trek along with police and administration personnel. They are checking registrations and are on the lookout for tired or sick animals, but to no avail.
On Saturday, June 10 a report of pilgrims being thrashed by a group herders, when they sought assistance for a distressed mule, has added fuel to the fire.
To completely eradicate this inhuman treatment meted out to these voiceless souls, the State and the Animal Welfare Board should implement stricter punishment as per the Prevention of Cruelty to Draught and Pack Animals Rules, 1965, along with Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Licensing of Farriers) Rules, 1965.
The Issue
A check by a leading national publication and simultaneous uploading of umpteen videos on social media revealed that mules on the Char Dham yatra's Kedarnath route were being worked to death, flogged and often drugged to make them carry more load and with greater frequency. As per the report, over 60 mules had died in the first 20 days of the yatra due to strenuous conditions as handlers and owners were in a rush to make the most of the unprecedented footfall due to the "backlog" created by two years of the pandemic.
Apparantly after the report, animal husbandry Minister Saurabh Bahuguna had sent an advisory to all mule-handlers to spare the animals such overexertion, but nothing seems to have changed on the ground. Local residents, even some pilgrims, said that the animals were often "beaten mercilessly with sticks and given narcotics" to keep them going. Many of the animal handlers were finding ways to bypass rules that mandated only one trip on the trek for each mule. The earlier route -- before the 2013 floods -- had four rest and check-up stops along the way for animals. The new route has none and it has become a common sight to see the animals slipping, especially on the way down, because of the rains and the terrain. It is more than painful to see mules hitting its muzzle on the ground with no strength to move, but the handler would just hit the animal with a stick so that it wouldn't stop.
Basis the report, officials from the Rudraprayag chief veterinary office was posted at the beginning of the trek along with police and administration personnel. They are checking registrations and are on the lookout for tired or sick animals, but to no avail.
On Saturday, June 10 a report of pilgrims being thrashed by a group herders, when they sought assistance for a distressed mule, has added fuel to the fire.
To completely eradicate this inhuman treatment meted out to these voiceless souls, the State and the Animal Welfare Board should implement stricter punishment as per the Prevention of Cruelty to Draught and Pack Animals Rules, 1965, along with Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Licensing of Farriers) Rules, 1965.
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Petition created on 14 June 2023