On March 12, 2020, World Animal Protection released the 2nd edition of global Animal Protection Index (API) 2020, where India gained C grade (also in 1st edition in 2014) with other 8 countries which indicates India is one of the better-performing countries. Tragically no country gained A grade.
i.It aims to display whether countries are doing well & where they lack on animal welfare policy & legislation, so they could take steps to improve.
ii.It helps the countries to have good animal welfare practices such as keeping animals clean, healthy & with sufficient space to exhibit natural behaviours.
iii.It assesses the animal welfare policies & legislation of 50 countries & ranks them from A (highest score) to G (lowest score) with 10 indicators, grouped into 4 goals namely;
- Recognition of animal sentience and prohibition of animal suffering
- Presence of animal welfare legislation
- Establishment of supportive government bodies
- Support for international animal welfare standards
iv.Grade list
Grade C- India, Mexico, Malaysia, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, New Zealand
Grade B– Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Grade G– Azerbaijan, Iran.
https://api.worldanimalprotection.org/
India’s Recommendations & Other Findings:
- It recommended that India has strong laws on the protection of animals (Prevention of Cruelty to Animals act 1960) but should make it applicable to all animals.
- Poor animal welfare practice in trade, farming & livestock will provide a perfect breeding ground for viruses to mutate & spread. The risk of disease breakouts will be high if there is no improvement in animal welfare laws.
About World Animal Protection:
It aims to create a world where animals live free from suffering
Headquarters– London, United Kingdom
CEO– Steve McIvor
