But did you know that according to the legislation, under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, abandoning your pet is considered a punishable offense?
Yup, you heard that right folks. Section 11 (i) of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 clearly states that an owner abandoning an animal under any circumstances, leaving it a situation where it suffers pain due to starvation or thirst is a punishable offense.
Now, this ideally means that if you have seen someone abandoning their pet or know of anybody who has done the same, you can report this heinous crime to the police and urge them to take action.
The punishment for abandoning a pet is imprisonment for up to three months. However, the fine for this is a nominal charge of ₹50.
While the penalty for this punishable offense is minimal and can be stricter to prevent people from harming animals, the fact still remains that it is a reportable crime.
And as a vigilant human being, you have the power to report any witnessed cases of animal cruelty or pet abandonment. You have a chance to voice the struggles of the voiceless.
Who knows if people like you and I start reporting everyday cases of abandonment , it might help bring down the increasing cases of abandoned pets?
Maybe with more reported cases, a pet owner will think twice before abandoning their pets.
Also, did you know, willingly keeping an animal chained to a heavy chord or keeping them in confined spaces for a longer duration is a punishable offense too?
In fact, according to article 51 A(g) it is the fundamental duty of every citizen of India to have compassion for all living creatures. So let us all pledge to report any witnessed cases of pet abandonment or animal cruelty.