Utility of Animal World For Human Welfare

Men and animals are dependent on each other and mutually complementary. If a man rears one animal then that animal in return, rears his entire family, besides serving him in many ways. The horse yoked to the carriage, the ox pulling the cart, are providing livelihood, to the whole families of those who yoke and drive them. Many people make their both end's meet by showing the feats of bears and monkeys and spend their whole lives depending on these animals.

There is a popular saying regarding the shepherds of Rajasthan that on the face of it shepherds rear the sheep, but in fact these sheep rear the families of these shepherds, because by the trading of milk, ghee and wool obtained from them, they make their bread and butter.Some specialists have found sheep's milk useful in treatment of even hereditary lungs diseases.

According to former Agriculture Minister, Shri Buta Singh's statement in Parliament "Two million animals are killed every year in licensed slaughter houses in India." This figure does not include the number of cattle butchered in unauthorised slaughter houses. The killing of two million cattle entails an annual loss of one crore tonnes of natural fertilizer which could have been obtained entirely free of cost.

According to Shri Buta Singh, the main cause of rising food-grain prices is the hike in cost of chemical fertilizers. "Fertilizer is the costliest input'. If chemical fertilizers could be substituted by freely obtainable natural fertilizers from cattle waste, food-grain prices can be substantially reduced, and the huge subsidies which the nation provides for the fertilizers industry could also be saved. Besides this, the saving of scarce foreign exchange spent on import of fertilizers and the huge capital investment in fertilizer projects will also be diverted to other useful projects.

How many human beings does a cow feed? Let us make an estimate. If a cow yields an average of 10 Kgs. of milk per day for an average of 10 months in a year, it amounts to 3000 Kgs. of milk which can satisfy the hunger of 6000 persons once. In its 15 productive years on an average, a cow in its whole life can thus satisfy the hunger of 90000 persons at least once. But if the same cow is killed and its flesh used for eating, it cannot satisfy even one thousand persons one time. The same applies to goat also. Similarly, one ox serves to raise at least 40,000 Kgs. of food grains during its life-time, thus providing one-time satiation to about 60,000 people, apart from the services it renders in pulling carts, transporting freight and so on. The dung of these animals provides additional benefits by way of fuel, manure, gas etc. If all these benefits are taken into account, then it seems that by killing these animals we derive only that much benefit as if some one may derive from making tea by burning currency notes. Killing the goose that lays a golden egg daily is never a wise proposition.

Most of the people are aware of the part played by fish in cleaning water. According to a news-item published in Sandhya Times, New Delhi of 12th April, 1990 fishes are now being used in Bhopal to help eradicate malaria. For this purpose 25000 fish of Gambushia and Gappi species have been floated in ponds and other water reservoirs. These fishes destroy the mosquitoes in their preliminary, that is, larva stage and thus help in containing malaria and cleaning the environmental pollution.

According to news item published in Nav Bharat Times, of 11th May,1990 a study conducted by Prof. Sarkar of Dacca Universfty revealed that owls offered better protection to crop by eating rats and numerous crop destroying insects.

Even frogs and snakes save our huge crops every year by eating crop destroying insects and rats respectively.According to the Honorary Secretary of the Bombay Humanftarian League, Sh. Dashrathbhai Thakker, the animal world contributes Rs. 25,500 crores every year to our national wealth by way of milk, manure, gas energy and carrying our luggage by sweating out in the hot sun. Besides this, after their death their hides and bones are used in many useful ways. In fact, we must be grateful to these animals who give us so much material benefits wW also serve us. If instead of being obliged, we send them to slaughter houses in return of their numerous services, then it is only an act of ungratefulness.

The indirect benefits flowing from any ban on the killing of animals are not less than the direct benefits mentioned above. Cheap manure will mean cheap food grains, fruits and vegetables, that will mean adequate food for the poor, leading to an enormous saving on the cost of treating the diseases now rampant because of malnutrition. Availability of food at low prices will bring down the cost index and there will be saving in dearness allowances etc. Labour agitations and strikes will be reduced, millions of man-hours lost due to illness and strikes will be obviated resulting in more productivity and low costs. National income will rise and we will not have to go abroad with a begging bowl for aid.

Thus, a ban on the killing of animals is not just a matter of religion, morality or compassion but also a prime pre-requisite for the economic upidt of the country and the health of the nation. This one step has the potential of solving all our problems and raising the level of life for every inhabitant of the country.

Those who wish to be happy and secure must learn how to make others happy and secure, otherwise nature has its own strange ways of punishment. Just as the destruction of forests has disturbed the environmental balance and compelled us to launch a compaign for protection of forests and plantation of more trees, we will have to launch a similar compaign one day to save animals and birds which are equally vital for the maintenance of our environmental and ecological balance of nature. Survival of animal world is a matter of our own survival. Delay will be disastrous.Our own welfare depends upon following the maxim :

"ek fgalkr loZ Hkwrkuh" (Ma Hinsat Serve Bhutani) meaning do not inflct injury on any creature.
Let all be happy without any pain or misery.

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