Government Preparing Separate Animal Welfare Bill, Minister Says

The government is preparing a separate animal welfare bill to strengthen the legal protection of animals, Agriculture, Forest and Environment Minister Gita Chaudhary has said.

Speaking at a programme held on Sunday to mark Kukur Tihar, Chaudhary said a draft of the bill has been prepared and suggestions are being collected from stakeholders. She said the government is working to put stronger policy and legal arrangements in place to protect animals and birds and to control cruelty against them.

Chaudhary said there has long been a demand for a separate law on animal rights and welfare, and the government is working to address it. She said the constitution itself provides for animal welfare, while the criminal code carries provisions on the protection of animals and birds, negligent rearing, abandoning animals and cruel treatment, with punishment for cruelty.

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The animal welfare directive sets out clear guidance, she said, including a ban on cruelty during the transport of animals, a limit of eight hours of work a day for working animals, and at least one rest day a week.

The government has set up a national animal welfare and resource management office to organise welfare activities and publish technical guidance, the minister said. She stressed that alongside building the legal framework, existing arrangements must be implemented effectively so that mistreatment of animals ends.

Chaudhary also recalled that animal protection in Nepal has a long history, noting the Pashupatinath Gaushala established by the then prime minister Juddha Shumsher.