Protect A Cow

CENTRAL PA CHEMTRAILS

770127r2.bhu        Conversations      
Prabhupada: So we have to challenge them like that. And as soon as you challenge, "Yes, wait millions of years." That's all.
Satsvarupa: They say, "Actually we are working on that, how to make rain."
Prabhupada: Hm?
Satsvarupa: They'll say, "Yes, actually we are working on that problem of making rain."
Prabhupada: What is the working? People are suffering; you are working. There is a Bengali proverb, sate kusti dolpe gelun.(?) There was a big fair. One has to go there. So he began to dress himself nicely. So the time occupied for dressing, in the meantime the fair was finished. (laughs) Sate kusti kolpe gelun.(?) These are practical. You need immediately water. These rascals say, "Yes, wait. Wait for future."
Satsvarupa: "Wait and give us billions of dollars. Research."
Prabhupada: Yes, yes. Why shall I wait? Immediately necessary. You have no such power to evaporate the water and make into cloud and distribute. Very easily it is being done. Then why don't you accept somebody's doing that?
Satsvarupa: If a scientist will accept there is God, then there is no harm in making scientific progress.
Prabhupada: Then they will hear the words of God, Bhagavad-gita. Then everything will be solved. Yajnad bhavati parjanyah. Then he will hear. They will chant Hare Krsna and there will be rain.

CENTRAL PA CHEMTRAILS 2

770224ed.may        Conversations

Prabhupada: Yes, yes. Yajnad bhavati parjanyah. (sound of thunder and rain) This time rainfall is very beneficial for crops. This is the way of living. You perform yajna, there will be rain. And as soon as the ground is moist, you can produce anything, whatever you want. Sarva-kama-dugha mahi. From the field, you can get all your necessities of life. The first necessity is the food grain. So food grain you can eat, and the rejected grass portion, you give to the cows. So both the animal and the man get sufficient food. And the cows will give you nice milk, and from milk you can get butter, ghee, yogurt, so many nice sweetmeat. And there is ghee, and here is food grain, then you make kacuri, puri, samosa. Then sufficient foodstuff, nice, palatable, nutritious. First necessity is ahara. You get sufficient ahara. Then make little cottage for shelter. Just like there is rainfall. Now you require little... (thunder sounds) Ahara, nidra, bhaya, and sex. So marry. Then the whole problem is solved. And then, rest time you save and advance in Krsna conscious... This is civilization. Why you create unnecessary necessities of life and become complicated and forget Krsna? What is this civilization? Rascal civilization. Instead of giving protection to the cows, you are cutting the throat. Is that civilization? So this is a civilization of duskrtina, means mischief monger. Therefore they must suffer, and suffering. And asuras are being created. And Krsna's business is to kill the asuras. Paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam. This is going on. This is material nature. Asuras are being created, and the whole plan is to kill them. So struggle for existence. The asuras, they want to live. Mahisasura he's struggling with the weapons of Maya, Durga. He'll be failure, but still--ahankara-vimudhatma kartaham--by false egotism he's thinking, "I shall conquer over the material..." That is scientist, so-called scientist. Asuras are... They are planning that "We shall do without nature's control." That is mudha. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya dura... They cannot conquer it. That is not possible. But you are struggling. You do not want the control of nature. And nature is so strong... Now it is raining.

CENTRAL PA CHEMTRAILS 3

661104GP.NY                  Lectures
Just like modern scientists say that "We shall artificially make raining so that where there is scarcity of rain we shall fertilize the land, we shall get production," so similarly, the sankhya philosophy, according to sankhya philosophy, that rain is caused by the heat, and by the heat there is cloud in the sky, and the cloud is the cause of the rain. So there is no question of Mahendra, the controller of the cloud, or anything else.

                    prajas tair eva sidhyanti
                     mahendrah kim karisyati

                      na nah puro jana-pada
                      na grama na grha vayam
                      vanaukasas tata nityam
                       vana-saila-nivasinah

"So therefore we are not going to the city. We are inhabitants of this village. So it is better to worship this land, this land, this land, Govardhana." Because Krsna was herding His cows on the Govardhana Hill, so indirectly He hinted that "We should worship this Govardhana Hill, and that is our duty."

 

It's not necessary that you be sent to the ordinary slaughterhouse. You'll make a slaughterhouse at home. You'll kill your own child--abortion.

JSD 6.5            

Slaughterhouse Civilization

They are sending animals to the slaughterhouse, and now they'll create their own slaughterhouse. [Imitating gunfire:] Tung! Tung! Kill! Kill! You see? Just take Belfast, for example. The Roman Catholics are killing the Protestants, and the Protestants are killing the Catholics. This is nature's law. It's not necessary that you be sent to the ordinary slaughterhouse. You'll make a slaughterhouse at home. You'll kill your own child--abortion. This is nature's law. Who are these children being killed? They are these meat-eaters. They enjoyed themselves when so many animals were killed, and now they're being killed by their mothers. People do not know how nature is working. If you kill, you must be killed. If you kill the cow, who is your mother, then in some future lifetime your mother will kill you. Yes. The mother becomes the child, and the child becomes the mother.Mam sa khadatiti mamsah. The Sanskrit word is mamsa. Mam means "me," and sa means "he." I am killing this animal; I am eating him. And in my next lifetime he'll kill me and eat me. When the animal is sacrificed, this mantra is recited into the ear of the animal--"You are giving your life, so in your next life you will get the opportunity of becoming a human being. And I who am now killing you will become an animal, and you will kill me." So after understanding this mantra, who will be ready to kill an animal?

Those who are sincere souls, after hearing this incident, should refrain from such child-killing and should atone for their sinful activities by taking to Krsna consciousness very seriously.

SB 6.16.14 P   King Citraketu Meets the Supreme Lord
             TEXT 14

bala-ghnyo vriditas tatra
bala-hatya-hata-prabhah
bala-hatya-vratam cerur
brahmanair yan nirupitam
yamunayam maharaja
smarantyo dvija-bhasitam

                SYNONYMS

   bala-ghnyah--the killers of the child; vriditah--being very much ashamed; tatra--there; bala-hatya--because of killing the child; hata--having lost; prabhah--all bodily luster; bala-hatya-vratam--the atonement fur killing the child; ceruh--executed; brahmanaih--by the priests; yat--which; nirupitam--described; yamunayam--at the River Yamuna; maha-raja--O King Pariksit; smarantyah--remembering; dvija-bhasitam--the statement given by the brahmana.

                                      TRANSLATION

   Queen Krtyadyuti's co-wives, who had poisoned the child, were very much ashamed, and they lost all their bodily luster. While lamenting, O King, they remembered the instructions of Angira and gave up their ambition to bear children. Following the directions of the brahmanas, they went to the bank of the Yamuna, where they bathed and atoned for their sinful activities.

                              PURPORT

   In this verse the word bala-hatya-hata-prabhah is to be particularly noted. The practice of killing children has existed in human society for a long time--since time immemorial--but in the days of yore it was very rarely performed. At the present moment, however, in this age of Kali, abortion--killing of the child within the womb--has become very common, and sometimes a child is even killed after birth. If a woman performs such an abominable act, she gradually loses all her bodily luster (bala-hatya-hata-prabhah). It is also to be noted that the ladies who had committed the sinful act of administering poison to the child were very much ashamed, and according to the directions of the brahmanas, they had to undergo atonement for killing the child. Any woman who has ever performed such an infamously sinful act must atone for it, but no one now is doing that. Under the circumstances, the women responsible must suffer in this life and the next. Those who are sincere souls, after hearing this incident, should refrain from such child-killing and should atone for their sinful activities by taking to Krsna consciousness very seriously. If one chants the Hare Krsna maha-mantra without offenses, all of one's sinful actions are surely atoned for immediately, but one should not commit such deeds again, for that is an offense.

 

 

It is a country of terrorism. That's all. The government men, they are simply terrorists.

These countries are faced with difficulty but it is nature's law. They will be without food, water and they will be heavily taxed. There will be revolution. How long can they keep the people terrorized? It will burst. I can't imagine how people are living in such a rotten state. There is nothing like pleasure; all is morose. Only we are benedicting the fallen souls all over the world, so go on with your enthusiastic preaching and try to do good to others with Krsna Consciousness. Hope this meets you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

N98:RTW 2.3 
Dr. Ane's comment on the system of education.But when the ill influence of Kali-yuga corrupts this varnasrama system, human society is beset by all sorts of degradations. As a result, the living entities are punished by a variety of natural calamities caused by the illusory potency of the Lord. When the citizens abide by the rules of the king, the kingdom runs smoothly and everyone is prosperous and content. But when the demoniac population of thieves, rogues, and criminals steadily increases, the kingdom is filled with chaos and terror.

740529mw.rom              Conversations
He has written a book. He is a famous man. He got Nobel Prize. He has said that "This is simply terrorism; a set of, a group of men, simply under terrorism they are governing."

Country is struck with a calamity that will lead to millions of cows unnecissarily slaughtered

More Cattle Culling Ordered Over Disease  United Kingdom

Sky News | August 8, 2007

RELATED: Investigators Probe Whether Government Lab Deliberately Released Virus

Cattle are to be culled on a third Surrey farm over fears of a fresh outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

It comes as some restrictions were eased on the movement of animals imposed in the wake of the scare.

Transporting live animals to slaughterhouses and collecting dead animals from farms will both be allowed from midnight.

But officials stress these will only be permitted outside the protection zone in Surrey.

The Welsh and Scottish governments have also announced similar moves.

The latest farm to come under the spotlight is adjacent to the second farm where the disease was discovered.

Meanwhile, experts are checking whether the foot and mouth outbreak was caused by sabotage linked to a nearby laboratory site.

A Health and Safety Executive preliminary report said there were various potential routes for "accidental or deliberate transfer of material from the site".

It said: "Release by human movement must also be considered a real possibility. Further investigation of the above issues is required and is being urgently pursued."

Merial Animal Health, which is based at the lab, said it does not believe the disease was spread by people from its centre.

It said: "To date, we have not been able to establish any evidence that the virus may have been transported out of our centre by humans."

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn admitted the Government has to look at the possibility the outbreak in Surrey was the result of deliberate human contamination.

Speaking after the publication of the report, he said: "The truth is, we don't know. We're all very, very anxious."

Mr Benn has agreed to a recommendation by the Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds that footpaths in a protection zone, which covers the two infected farms, be closed with immediate effect.

Defra has confirmed that an allotment, which is understood to be near the first site of the outbreak, is being looked at as part of the ongoing "epidemiology investigation".

Culling at the two farms which had outbreaks of foot and mouth is complete, it said.

A spokesman for Defra said: "A total of 214 animals have been culled with none awaiting culling.

"All the culling took place inside the protection zone."

The safety executive's preliminary findings said there was a "strong possibility" that the Pirbright laboratory facility was the source of the foot and mouth outbreak.

It did not specify whether Merial Animal Health or the Institute of Animal Health (IAH), both on the site, was responsible.

Chances that the infections had been caused by flooding or aerial transmission were "negligible", it added.

The report confirmed the strain found at the first farm was being worked on at both IAH and Merial between July 14 and 25.

There was large scale production at the Merial site (10,000 litres) and a series of small scale experiments (fewer than 10 millilitres in each case) at the IAH site.

ROMANIAN DIVINING COWS PROVIDE MILK, FIND WELLS

BUCHAREST-- Romanian farmers are enjoying new supplies of fresh water, uncovered by ancient methods rediscovered by new entrepreneurs. Tapping into a rich peasant folklore, students at the Agricultural Institute in Focsani have strapped divining rods onto a herd of cattle.

Mirela, one of many Romanian "Dairy Diviners."

For a fee their herd will trample over a farmer's fields and, by making signs, point to hidden sources of water.

Critics scoff at the plan, but poorly educated peasants, desperate for water not contaminated by pollution and fertilizer run-off are eagerly lining up to pay up to two tanks of gas and a fat hen for the chance of a fresh start.

"My neighbour polluted all my water when he put in a new septic tank," said Mazonn Roumenscia, "but these city slickers and their magical cows found a spring hidden under a stack of hay. Now I almost feel bad that I poisoned that nemernic. Not only did they find a new source of water, they let me keep the dung. Now I have clean, fresh water, and enough fuel to last until November."

Gheorghe Ceasceasculop and Dmitri Romouscensc, were studying advanced industrialization of post-collective farming co-ops when they stumbled across a farmer's manual from 1904. Among amusing anecdotes and remedies for warts and vampires, they found a diagram of a cow with a dowsing rod strapped to its neck. Recognizing an opportunity when they saw one they immediately quit school, sold their Soviet-era motorcycles and acquired three cows from Dmitri's uncle.

"At first it was hard work," said Gheorghe, "we had to bribe many officials for the right business licences. But as soon as the cows started producing results everything took off." They now have 15 cows and a truck to carry them. When not searching for springs and areas to dig the cows are kept in Dmitri's apartment.

"It's a bit tight for space," admits Dmitri. "But with the good profits we're making I'll soon be able to buy a ducha in the country. With a Rolls Royce."

A dowsing session usually starts with both Gheorghe and Dmitri haggling with the farmer over price. Gheorghe then does a 'pre-cow walking check' with a hygrometer. "It's to look for places where the cows might trip. These are valuable animals," Ivan explains.

The cows are then driven in and the local priest is asked to bless the herd of cattle with a sprinkle of holy water. Dmitri then sets them loose with a smart swack on the flank.

As the cows wander over the fields Gheorghe and Dmitri will interpret each animal's actions to the farmer. Eventually one will give a portentious sign and the order is given to dig there. The cows are rounded up, the fee paid, and they go home. It is up to the farmer to dig the well.

Gheorghe and Dmitri hope to expand their business. "We were thinking of setting up a franchise, and selling the idea to interested people in Bulgaria, Macedonia, and even the United States," said Gheorghe. "But only for the right price."

Satellite to study source of 'night shining' clouds : Article illustrated with my recent photos of ongoing aerosol spray campaign over central pa

Satellite to study source of 'night shining' clouds

Iridescent, silvery blue clouds at the edge of space that may be connected to global warming will be studied by a NASA spacecraft set to launch on 25 April.

The Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) mission will be the first satellite dedicated to studying the enigmatic phenomenon of "noctilucent", or night-shining clouds.

The shimmering clouds can be seen glowing just before sunrise or just after sunset because they are so high up – forming at an altitude of about 80 kilometres – that the Sun illuminates them from below the horizon. Watch a video of the clouds shifting in the sky (courtesy of Hampton University).

The clouds were first observed above polar regions in 1885 – suggesting they may have been caused by the eruption of Krakatoa two years before. But in recent years they have spread to latitudes as low as 40°, while also growing in number and getting brighter. 

"We don't know why this is happening,"  NASA mission programme executive Vicki Elsbernd said at a briefing with reporters on Wednesday. "Many scientists suspect it may be related to global warming."

Greenhouse gases

Researchers say humans may be responsible for two of the three factors required to make the icy clouds. These factors are water, cold temperatures and 'seed' particles onto which the water can condense.

Atmospheric water may be boosted by livestock farming and the production of fossil fuels, which spew methane into the atmosphere. Sunlight breaks down the methane, releasing hydrogen that can bond with oxygen to form water.

And greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide actually help to cool the upper atmosphere, where the clouds form. That is because carbon dioxide, like methane and water, is an efficient radiator of energy – both downwards, towards the Earth, and upwards, out to space.

Solar cycle

"By the Earth's surface, CO₂ can cause the atmosphere to warm," explains AIM principal investigator James Russell at Hampton University in Virginia, US. "But at 50 miles above the surface, the opposite occurs – the radiation trapped is released to space and the atmosphere cools."

Natural factors also affect the clouds. Because water molecules can be destroyed by radiation from the Sun, scientists predicted that the abundance of water at high atmospheric altitudes would be at a minimum during periods of high solar activity in the 11-year sunspot cycle.

But the water level is actually observed to drop to a minimum about a year after the solar maximum, says Russell. "There's a time lag we don't understand."

The source of the particles that seed the clouds is also a mystery. Since the clouds form during the local summer months, when the pole is bathed in perpetual sunlight, one possibility is that warm air rising above the pole could carry dust upwards from lower atmospheric altitudes. The dust could also have a cosmic source, however, dropping into the atmosphere from space.

Hemispheric differences

AIM will use three instruments to study the clouds. One is a suite of four cameras that will provide panoramic views of the poles and clouds. Another, called the Solar Occultation for Ice Experiment (SOFIE), will study the chemistry of the ice particles and clouds – measuring molecules such as methane. It will also observe the Sun through the atmosphere to measure how much sunlight is dimmed by dust in the atmosphere.

The third instrument, called the Cosmic Dust Experiment, is a plastic film that sits on top of the spacecraft. It will record every "hit" from a dust particle that rains down on it from space.

The AIM satellite will launch from California's Vandenburg Air Force Base. After being dropped from an aircraft at an altitude of about 12 kilometres, its Pegasus XL launch rocket will ignite, ultimately putting the satellite into a polar orbit. Watch an animation of the launch and satellite deployment (courtesy of NASA).

The $140 million mission is expected to operate for two years, which will allow it to observe two summers in each hemisphere. That will help researchers understand why the clouds appear brighter in the northern hemisphere and at higher altitudes in the southern hemisphere.

 

At the present moment these rulers are so powerful that by hook or by crook they capture the highest posts in government and harass countless numbers of people on the plea of national security or some emergency.

  SB 10.3.22   

The Birth of Lord Krsna                                                 

                TEXT 21

 tvam asya lokasya vibho riraksisur
 grhe 'vatirno 'si mamakhilesvara
 rajanya-samjnasura-koti-yuthapair
 nirvyuhyamana nihanisyase camuh

         SYNONYMS

   tvam--Your Lordship; asya--of this world; lokasya--especially of this martya-loka, the planet earth; vibho--O Supreme; riraksisuh--desiring protection (from the disturbance of the asuras); grhe--in this house; avatirnah asi--have now appeared; mama--my; akhila-isvara--although You are the proprietor of the entire creation; rajanya-samjna-asura-koti-yutha-paih--with millions of demons and their followers in the roles of politicians and kings; nirvyuhyamanah--which are moving here and there all over the world; nihanisyase--will kill; camuh--the armies, paraphernalia, soldiers and retinues.

                           TRANSLATION

   O my Lord, proprietor of all creation, You have now appeared in my house, desiring to protect this world. I am sure that You will kill all the armies that are moving all over the world under the leadership of politicians who are dressed as ksatriya rulers but who are factually demons. They must be killed by You for the protection of the innocent public.

                             PURPORT

   Krsna appears in this world for two purposes, paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam: to protect the innocent, religious devotees of the Lord and to annihilate all the uneducated, uncultured asuras, who unnecessarily bark like dogs and fight among themselves for political power. It is said, kali-kale nama-rupe krsna avatara. The Hare Krsna movement is also an incarnation of Krsna in the form of the holy name (nama-rupe). Every one of us who is actually afraid of the asuric rulers and politicians must welcome this incarnation of Krsna: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Then we will surely be protected from the harassment of asuric rulers.  At the present moment these rulers are so powerful that by hook or by crook they capture the highest posts in government and harass countless numbers of people on the plea of national security or some emergency. Then again, one asura defeats another asura, but the public continues to suffer. Therefore the entire world is in a precarious condition, and the only hope is this Hare Krsna movement.

Lord Nrsimhadeva appeared when Prahlada was excessively harassed by his asuric father. Because of such asuric fathers--that is, the ruling politicians--it is very difficult to press forward the Hare Krsna movement, but because Krsna has now appeared in His holy name through this movement, we can hope that these asuric fathers will be annihilated and the kingdom of God established all over the world. The entire world is now full of many asuras in the guise of politicians, gurus, sadhus, yogis and incarnations, and they are misleading the general public away from Krsna consciousness, which can offer true benefit to human society.

So at the present moment we are in a very, very deplorable condition, no good government. Simply by changing, by so-called parties, the government cannot improve.

720925SB.LA                  Lectures
Prabhupada: Yes. That was the custom. Not that by removing the king from the throne or killing the king, the brahmanas and the sages would come there to sit down on the throne. No. His son will be given chance to become king. The descendant was picked up, and they would take charge of the minor king, advise him, but they will never touch the throne. There are many instances. Just like Vena Maharaja. He became too much atheistic. He was also killed by the brahmanas and the sages. Then his son Prthu Maharaja became king, and he was a good administration, administrator. So in this way, things were going on.
    So the aim was how to make people happy by enlightening them in spiritual knowledge. Not that how to make better arrangement for eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. That was also going on. But the main purpose of life was brahminical culture. Brahma-druha. When the kings were neglectful to see that the people are being enlightened about spiritual self-realization, that was good administration. Without that aim, no nation can become happy. No community can become happy.
   So the responsibility was that time to the administrator. They would see that everyone, every brahmana, is following the rules and regulation of a brahmana; every ksatriya is following the rules and regulation of ksatriya. Vaisya, sudra... And nobody can interfere the other's business. Everyone is employed in his own business. And tax. Tax. The brahmana had to pay no tax. Only ksatriyas, they were tax collector. And sudra also, they had no property; therefore there was no tax. Only the vaisya class, the productive class, they had to pay tax. And that tax also was very simple. There was no encroachment. You simply give one fourth of your profit to the government. That's all. No more tax. Sales tax, this tax, income tax, excise tax, this tax--simply tax, tax, tax. No. Not like that. Whatever he has got profit. "Got" means whatever profit he has made... If he has no profit, there is no tax. That was the government system. So how he will pay if he has not made any profit this year? Just like we are hearing there is no good monsoon in India this year. So there will be no very much good production. But if there is no good production, the government should not levy any tax. But now, at the present moment, "You go to hell, but you must pay the tax. And we divide the tax amongst ourself." That's all. Finished. Or we employ the taxes for fighting, for declaring war. That's all.
   So at the present moment we are in a very, very deplorable condition, no good government. Simply by changing, by so-called parties, the government cannot improve. The government can improve when there are Krsna conscious person. So if some day you turn all the people Krsna conscious, then you become president.
   Thank you very much.

Such sinful heads of state cannot actually be popular at any time.

SB 4.16.18
Praise of King Prthu by the Professional Reciters                                                         

                                        TEXT

                      dehinam atmavat-presthah
                     suhrdam nandi-vardhanah
                    mukta-sanga-prasango 'yam
                       danda-panir asadhusu

                                   SYNONYMS

   dehinam--to all living entities having a body; atma-vat--as himself; presthah--considering dear; suhrdam--of his friends; nandi-vardhanah--increasing pleasures; mukta-sanga--with persons devoid of all material contamination; prasangah--intimately associated; ayam--this King; danda-panih--a chastising hand; asadhusu--to the criminals.

                           TRANSLATION

   The King will consider all embodied living entities as dear as his own self, and he will always be increasing the pleasures of his friends. He will intimately associate with liberated persons, and he will be a chastising hand to all impious persons.   

                             PURPORT

   The word dehinam refers to those who are embodied. The living entities are embodied in different forms, which number 8,400,000 species. All of these were treated by the King in the same way he would treat himself. In this age, however, so-called kings and presidents do not treat all other living entities as their own self. Most of them are meat-eaters, and even though they may not be meat-eaters and may pose themselves to be very religious and pious, they still allow cow slaughter within their state. Such sinful heads of state cannot actually be popular at any time. Another significant word in this verse is mukta-sanga-prasangah, which indicates that the King was always associating with liberated persons.

Animal Welfare Bill introduced, Act amended

Fri, 2009-02-20 06:07

By Janaka Perera

JHU (National Heritage Party) Parliamentarian Venerable Athuraliye Rathana placed the Animal Welfare Bill on the Order Paper of Sri Lanka's Parliament on Thursday February 19. The Bill provides the framework for the protection of animals from cruelty; to foster kindness, compassion and responsible behaviour towards these creatures and to establish a National Animal Welfare Authority; among other matters.

In another development the same day a significant amendment to the Animals Act, No 29 of 1958, was adopted in Parliament without a division. The Ministry of Livestock Development introduced this amendment by which the punishment for slaughtering cows and cow calves, including female Buffaloes and calves, has been increased from Rs. 250 to Rs. 50, 000 plus the imposition of three year sentence of imprisonment. Further any illegal use of a vehicle for transport of cows and female buffaloes for slaughter would result in the confiscation of both the animals and the vehicle.

The Animal Welfare Bill will now be referred to the respective Minister or to the Deputy Minister who is concerned with the subject of the Bill, for his report on the suitability of the proposed legislation. Upon the Minister's report being received (or if six months have elapsed from the date on which the Bill was referred to the Minister and no report has been made), the Bill will be tabled for the Second Reading. A Private Member's Bill can also be challenged in the Supreme Court regarding its Constitutionality within one week of it being placed on the Order Paper.

The Animal Welfare Bill has been long awaited particularly by the growing animal welfare lobby in Sri Lanka, as it seeks to replace the antiquated Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance enacted by the British colonial Government, 102 years ago, in 1907. Its inadequate penalties e.g. maximum fine of Rs. 100 (less than one US Dollar) for a heinous act of cruelty to an animal has removed the deterrent effect of this legislation, in the current context, leading to poor enforcement of the statute. It was also a national embarrassment to Sri Lanka seeking to establish modern standards in all aspects of governance by rule of law.

'Mahinda Chintanaya' which contains President Mahinda Rajapaksa's election manifesto and upon which he won the public mandate to govern carries a solemn pledge by him to reform animal welfare laws, introduce modern standards in respect to care and protection of animals from cruelty, and thereby lessen the pain of non - human sentient beings who cannot articulate their suffering.

The Animal Welfare Bill aims to accept greater state responsibility for animals. It seeks to provide for the protection of animals from cruelty, to foster kindness, compassion and responsible behavior towards animals in the community and to establish a National Animal Welfare Authority with wide powers to deal with matters relating to animal welfare.

Some important features of the Bill are the recognition of a duty of care towards animals, creation of new animal cruelty offences with stringent punishments, requiring permits to use live animals for scientific purposes and provision for the appointment of Animal Welfare Inspectors to strengthen the investigation and prosecution processes with powers also to give directions to those in charge of any animal to ensure the welfare of the animal by giving the required care and medical treatment.

If enacted, the Animal Welfare Bill can be expected to inspire and generate a chain reaction in other Asian countries, particularly in the SAARC and ASEAN regions, to update their legislation incorporating modern standards in the way we treat and co-exist with other living creatures.

It was Mahatma Gandhi who said that a nation's greatness and moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals.

The primary objectives of the Animal Welfare Bill are (a) Establishment of a separate National Animal Welfare Authority (b) Redefining the term 'animal' to include all animals, including strays (c) Inclusion of the clause 'Duty of Care,' which places an obligation on persons in charge of animals to see to the welfare of animals in their care (d) The appointment of animal welfare inspectors empowering them to take relevant action when necessary (e) Increase the maximum penalty for cruelty to animals to a Rupees hundred thousand maximum fine or three years in prison or both such fine and imprisonment (f) To introduce a statute to regulate the use of animals for scientific research (g) the right of any adult person (apart from the animal's owner) to intervene in court proceedings in the best interests of the animal, since under the present laws animals are treated as inanimate objects and (h) Banning home slaughter and permitting it only under supervised conditions in duly licensed slaughter houses.

The Authority will have Animal Welfare Inspectors working under it to enforce the law, under which anyone can lodge a complaint even against a neighbour if he or she cruelly treats an animal. The NAWA will be similar to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) of the United Kingdom.

According to Attorney at Law Senaka Weeraratna, who was a Legal Consultant to the Law Commission of Sri Lanka and was closely associated with the drafting of this Bill, currently Sri Lanka has perhaps the most antiquated legislation on animal welfare in the world. The governing statute is "The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance No.13 of 1907, which sets out various offences and penalties for mistreatment of animals. It was last amended in 1955 but is seldom enforced.

Under the current Sri Lankan law the maximum fine for cruelty to animals is a mere Rs.100, which was the same fine that was imposed in 1907! Although the prevailing law includes jail terms for such offenders, it is hardly enforced.

Former DIG (Crimes) H.M.G.B. Kotakadeniya has said that even a fine of Rs.100, 000 has little effect on those who make huge profits from animal slaughter. Stressing the need for jail terms, he attributed the total disregard for the law by those cruelly treating animals to the weakness of magistrates. Although the prevailing law too stipulated jail sentences to offenders, it has seldom or never been enforced, despite the judges being fully aware that a fine of Rs.100 was no punishment. He emphasized that judges had to be briefed on this.

One of the inherent jurisprudential difficulties in achieving justice for animals through legal proceedings, according to Senaka Weeraratna, is that the animal is treated as a 'chattel' or 'private property' rather than as a 'person' in the eyes of the law. Consequently, third parties endeavouring to assist animals as their `next friends' are denied standing in court to enforce animal rights. The party which has standing is the owner of the 'property' (i.e. the animal) and in most instances it is the very owner who is the cause of animal cruelty against whom a complaint is made. To such people cruelty to dumb creatures is a way of life.

Animal Rights activists have questioned the attitude of the law, which has developed a legal fiction to enable inanimate or artificial entities such as companies to be treated a 'person' in a court of law. But the same law has been reluctant to use the legal fact of visible and fully alive and moving animals for purpose of granting recognition to these living creatures as `persons' in legal proceedings. They lament that though Sri Lanka is supposed to be a predominantly Buddhist country, several non- Buddhist Western nations are far ahead of this island in enacting animal welfare legislation.

Weeraratna expresses regret that Sri Lanka's law societies including the Bar Association of Sri Lanka have so far failed to evince any real interest in animal welfare issues in comparison to law societies in the USA, England and Australia which have been taking an increasing interest in providing legislative protection to Animals. Britain's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is the best known example.

India's leading animal rights campaigner Maneka Gandhi welcomed the European Commission's proposal for creating a special "animal welfare" label for meat and fish products so that it would put more responsibilities on companies to ensure that they are getting their supplies from approved sources. Maneka Gandhi's column on Animal Rights under the caption 'Right to Live' is published weekly in Sri Lankan newspaper The Island. It is a major source of reference on modern day practices and standards concerning the well - being of animals.

Weeraratna observes: "Sri Lanka has a proud heritage on animal welfare. It is a historical record that would attract the envy of the rest of the world, given the march of the animal rights movement today in many parts of the globe. We must reconnect ourselves to this heritage."

- Asian Tribune -