Animal Rights & Welfare

Across the planet and in our own country, nature is under pressure. We often think of plants and animals quietly going extinct in remote forests, but the reality is much closer to home. Recent news shows that the government of India has initiated a major effort to assess the extinction risk of around 11,000 species of flora and fauna by 2030. This initiative, sometimes called the "Red List" survey, brings together three key dimensions: the natural world (the species and ecosystems), human society (policy, economy, conservation), and student (or learner) responsibilities and roles. India is one of the worlds megadiverse countries and despite covering just about 2.4 % of the global land area, it hosts about 8 % of the worlds plant species and about 7.5 % of its animal species. Yet only a small portion of these species have been properly assessed so far. The new survey specifies that approximately 7,000 plant species and 4,000 animal species will be evaluated in the first phase. Why does this matter? Because without knowing which species are at risk, we cannot plan effective conservation. Many ecosystems depend on these species, so their decline affects forests, rivers, climate regulation and our own lives.

A quiet but historic step for animal welfare was taken this August when the government of India released the country's first-ever "National Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Animal Blood Transfusion and Blood Banks". Though this important development did not receive much attention in the media, it marks a major milestone for animal healthcare and rural livelihoods across the country. Until now, India did not have a national framework for veterinary blood transfusion. Most transfusions were carried out in emergencies, when an injured or sick animal needed blood immediately and often without proper donor screening, blood typing, or storage. This created risks for both the donor and the recipient animal. The new guidelines, prepared by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, change bring structure, safety, and ethics to a field that has long worked without uniform standards.