Present Projects

Aquaculture

The center has taken up the cause of inclusion of Fishes within the sphere of legal protection under anti-cruelty laws. We have partnered with the Fish Welfare Institute (FWI) to work on this issue with the help of advocacy as a primary tool.

The center with FWI submitted comments on the Draft National Fisheries Policy 2020 to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, which is under consideration. Currently we are working on persuading different state governments to include appropriate standards for the aquaculture industry.

Pet Shops Working Paper

As an emerging industry, we believe that the pet industry has a better opportunity to take a cruelty free course, if given a suitable policy direction. To substantiate this belief, we are working on multiple publications dealing with the laws, issues, and implementation of the state policy regarding pet shops. We aim to provide force to the existing judicial views on the issue to advocate for better policy orientation.

Initiative for Cage-free Poultry Production

The Egg Production Industry is a major site for the infliction of cruelty due to the practice of housing the animals in congested battery cages. We have partnered with Global Food Partners to prepare a Stakeholders Report. Our combined goal is to outline the stakeholders and suggest suitable strategies to engage with each of them. We believe that this initiative would facilitate a more seamless and expediated transition from the battery cages to cage—free systems for housing of hens and other egg laying birds of the industry.

Reports and Data Integration

Many Animal Welfare Organizations (AWO) have published reports on eclectic subject matters related to the cruelty perpetuated on animals. We intend to integrate these reports into academic discourses and arguments by means of legal research writing. This will provide empirical support to the existing arguments for better legal framework for animals.

At present, we are working on the report prepared by the Fellows of Ahimsa Fellowship on the practice of cruelty in Poultry Farms and Pet Shops in multiple states. We are grateful to Prof. Murali Karnam for agreeing to provide mentorship and guidance to us on this project.

The NALSAR Campus Animal Policies

As part of the NALSAR University of Law, we have actively participated in enhancing the well-being of the animals present on the Campus. The NALSAR Campus has a significant population of dogs and in the past, there has also been a nearly constant presence of monkeys.

In furtherance of the same, we have drafted a Campus Dogs Policy keeping in mind all the stakeholders. We have received active involvement from the students in our proposed approach for adopting a more scientific and compassionate approach towards dogs.

We are also engaged in drafting a similar policy for Monkeys on the NALSAR Campus where our primary aim is to minimize the human-animal conflict and to opt for a sustainable course of action while dealing with the issues. Here is a link to the draft policy. Here is a link to other universities in India who have progressive non-human person policies.