India

The Republic of India has a wide variety of native species and is home to lions, tigers, leopards, black panthers, snow leopards, wolves, foxes and bears.

Birdwatching

India is a paradise for birdwatchers and has a huge variety of these animals which differs between different regions. Goa is one of the best parts in this regard, with an impressive variety of birds that inhabit this fairly small area. It is possible to see birds like the golden plover, stone curlews, yellow lapwing, brahminy starling, buttonquail and crab-plover. With a little bit of luck, it is also possible to see the white-bellied sea eagle.

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Zoos

The legislation on animal welfare is scarce in India just like its compliance, which means that zoo animals are not usually in good conditions. Many tourists returning from this country express their concern, writing in travel forums, about the unfortunate state of these facilities that usually have small cages which are deprived of environmental enrichment. In 2010, due to the difficulty of obtaining new live animals, the Mumbai Zoo made the decision to start embalming and exhibiting its dead and dissected animals to the public. That is undoubtedly a positive example, though unfortunately, the rest of the zoo's collection, which has more than 200 mammals, 500 birds and 45 reptiles, is still living in terrible conditions.

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Dancing bears

In some parts of India, bears are still used as a tourist attraction, either “dancing” or for taking photos with tourists. Usually captured from the wild while they are just cubs, they have their teeth and claws torn off and their noses or cheeks pierced with metal rings or directly with a rope to control them through pain. These animals are usually trained with hot plates under them so that they associate music with burning and by avoiding the pain of pulling the strings attached to their snouts, it looks as though they are dancing.

It is very important that the tourists would not agree to take pictures with them or pay to attend this type of show.

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Pack animals

A large part of the 1,2 billion inhabitants of India depend on approximately 1,2 million horses, donkeys, camels and mules that help them work the land. Each working animal can support an average of six people, but many families that depend on the work of horses, donkeys and mules to survive have real problems taking care of them.

The animals often get sick because of the lack of adequate food and drinking water – which the owners simply cannot afford to offer them - and the difficulties of the terrain and climate create a difficult environment for them.

These working animals play an important role in agricultural and transportation tasks, but economic difficulties often force their owners to overexploit them. Well-trained veterinarians with knowledge and experience of such animals are also difficult to find. Entities such as SPANA and THE BROOKE work in the country precisely to offer veterinary help and care for animals and their owners.

The Pushkar Camel Fair is an annual cattle fair, which has approx. 30,000 camels and other animals. The event has become a major tourist attraction, but some visitors have already expressed concern about the state of the animals.

Elephants

In this country tourists can also hire elephant rides, an activity that involves very serious physical and psychological problems for these animals (more information)

Moreover, in India you can see these animals in temples, where they are mainly used for “bringing fortune and luck” and where tourists can take a photo with them in exchange for a donation. The life of these elephants in temples is full of stress, boredom, loneliness and physical pain as well as psychological suffering. They are held chained in the same place for long period of time (including permanently) and often on hard surfaces (which are harmful for their delicate feet). The temples are not equipped with adequate facilities for taking care of an elephant and cannot meet their basic necessities.

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Between the main festivals which involve the use of elephants we highlight the Pooram Festival of Dombivli. The demonstration - also known as Mumbai Pooram - takes place in November and usually includes the procession of a minimum of seven elephants harnessed with gold from Thrissur, almost 1400 kilometres away. The animals are forced to perform between firecrackers and loud music and in a completely unnatural environment. Animals used in polo tournaments, another very popular activity with elephants in this country, also suffer from very similar problems.

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Elephant fights

In India, specifically in the state of Assam, the Suwori Festival, a local harvest festival, is held annually, where more than a dozen elephants are forced to fight against each other for the entertainment of attendees. The mahouts (elephant tamers) train with their elephants for months so they would “learn” to fight against other individuals during this holiday using their trunks or their heads. Once in the "ring", the elephants are forced to fight through kicks and blows caused by their "riders" until one of them wins by expelling his opponent from the combat zone.

Snake charmers

In some locations in India snake charmers use these animals to ask tourists for money (although this activity is prohibited). Many snakes in danger of extinction are exploited for this practice. Snakes are caught from the wild, smuggled and kept in very poor conditions (without water, food or hygiene standards) and suffer from a very high mortality rate.

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Fortune-telling parrots

The “astrologist parrots” or “fortune-telling parrots” can be found in the area of Tamil Nadu in India. This practice involves the use of parrots trained to choose Tarot cards that will help predict the future to the clients of fortune tellers, especially those related to love, marriage, work and customer queries.

The training of these animals involves mistreatment, and just like in the case of birds used for shows, they are trained through violence and food deprivation. Being neophobic animals, which are afraid of new things and escape by flying away, they are deprived of the ability to fly through pinioning - the amputation of part of their wings.

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Violence against animals in Kerala

Despite being an important tourist destination, Kerala is also the site of some of the worst episodes of violence against animals in the country. Dogs, turtles, cats and many other species are killed daily in this town without the action of authorities. In fact, Kerala has become India´s site with the most calls and complaints from tourists due to the acts of cruelty committed against animal victims.

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At the same time, Kerala also has the largest number of nature parks where you can see animals in their natural habitat. With a forest surface of ??11,125 square kilometers, such areas cover almost 29% of the total state surface. Here we find 5 national parks and 13 wildlife sanctuaries which cover a total of 2,250 square kilometers. In these parks you can observe the country´s spectacular flora and fauna in its natural habitat (more information about the parks in Kerala here. More information about responsible wildlife watching here.)

Stray animals

There are large numbers of stray animals in India, which often live in very bad conditions. The stray cat and dog populations are controlled by unregulated mass slaughter which usually involves very cruel slaughter methods. If you find these animals, you can help them by giving them some food or water, but avoiding close contact with them in order to avoid contagious illnesses. Before traveling you can find the contacts of local animal protection NGOs to inform them in case you find very ill animals or victims of animal abuse, or in case you want to make a donation.

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Camel rides

In several locations in India, and especially in the famous desert of Jaisalmer, in Rajasthan, it is possible to do camel rides.

The animals used in these activities may also suffer from health and welfare problems involved in their use and the inability to develop their natural behaviors if they are not treated properly. Sometimes the owners do not have the necessary resources or knowledge to keep them in a good state of health and well-being. Both for these reasons and taking into account that these animals can become aggressive and transmit diseases to people, in case you want to hire this type of activity, it is important to do so with a responsible provider that offers dignified living conditions to its camels.

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The Onam Harvest Festival

This traditional festival, which takes place in the coastal state of Kerala, ends with frantic bull and buffalo races.

Bulls and buffalo are forced to cross a 100-meter track full of water and mud at full speed, facing three categories according to the breed of the animals involved. For a while now, the local organizations have been reporting the stress and injuries that the animals involved end up suffering.

Religious rituals

Hindus worship their numerous gods through ritual offerings called 'puja' which too often involve the sacrifice of animals.

Millions of animals are brutally slaughtered every year only in these rituals. Water buffalos, lambs, sheep, ducks, chickens, crows, fish, pigs, snakes, turtles and grasshoppers are cruelly killed to fulfil wishes, bless weddings, homes and new cars in numerous religious festivals.

Ironically, this death to satisfy the gods is also interpreted as a favor towards animals who are freed from a life of suffering.

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Recommended rescue centers:

ARC (Animal Rescue Center)

Karuna Society for Animals and Nature

Manas Wildlife Sanctuary

PERIYAR

Rajasthan Wildlife