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Cattle find sanctuary from a cruel end
View(s):A sanctuary for cattle that, after serving humans for a lifetime are ruthlessly dispatched to the slaughterhouse in their old age, has received the blessing of President Mahinda Rajapaksa who last week made time to visit the haven and allocate funds to it.
“What better way to pay tribute to an animal that has served mankind so faithfully for centuries than to provide care and shelter for the rest of its days?” the Cattle Protection Trust told the Sunday Times.
During his visit, President Rajapaksa expressed his strong support for the sanctuary, set up in Rambakanoya in the Mahaweli Zone last September, and allocated resources from the President’s Fund for the project. President’s Counsel C.R. de Silva, who heads the trust, said sanctuary would shelter cattle rescued from illegal slaughterhouses or bought alive from abattoirs by compassionate individuals, cattle confiscated by courts when their owners were prosecuted for cruelty, and cattle abandoned, injured and in other need of protection.
“In the future,” Mr. de Silva said, “the Trust has plans to hand over some of the cattle to farmers in the area for their agricultural, dairy and other employment activities, but under strict supervision.
“If these farmers are unable to maintain the cattle, either in their old age or for any other reason, they will once again be taken over by the sanctuary.” Supervision will be by an arrangement through which the trust, the head priest of a temple in the area and the person who receives the animal will ensure that the animal will be cared for until its natural death.
Explaining its motivation in establishing the sanctuary, the trust pointed out that from ancient times cattle have given milk to nourish humankind, helped farmers and supported economic development.
“Bulls that drew heavily-laden carts have been at the mercy of insensitive humans who with sticks prodded them along rough and burning streets, ended up being sold to the slaughterhouse in their old age when they were no longer of any use to the owner.
“For animals facing a miserable end, this sanctuary is an answer.”
Trust members include animal rights activists Iranganie de Silva, Lalani S. Perera and Sharmini Ratnayake and former public officer A.D. de S. Indrasekera.
Money is needed for infrastructure facilities to be developed and to recruit a small workforce. Donations can be sent to the trust at 22, 2/1, Edmonton Road, Colombo 6, addressed to the “Public Trustee for the Cattle Protection Trust”.
Evil ‘charity farm’ starved and slaughtered rescued animals
Animals freed by police and well-wishers from the butcher’s knife and transported to what was thought to be a collection centre for safety turned out to have been kept in misery in a slaughter-house, a police raid this week revealed. The centre, also known as a “charity farm” located at Majeed Place in Urugodawatte, Grandpass, was packed with animals including 51 cows and bulls, 70 goats, 31 sheep and two guineafowl. Three people were taken into custody after the raid but later released on bail.
Most of the animals had been handed over to the farm by well wishers who had paid large sums of money to free them from butchers while others were handed over to the farm by the police following detections of illegal transport of cattle.
According to an official with the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) that carried out the raid on a tip-off, the living conditions of the animals were found to be appalling, with many of them packed into tiny enclosures and close to starvation.
Investigators found out that the animals were clandestinely sold to butchers and other individuals seeking to make religious offerings. Police also stumbled on to a bloodied log hidden at the back of the complex, indicating that animals had also been slaughtered inside the farm.
According to police, the farm’s clandestine operations had been going on for 10 years, apparently with the blessings of regional officials.The hunt is on for the kingpin behind the sordid racket. The animals are in the care of the CCD.
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