People for the Ethical Treatment of mals (PETA) India on Thursday asked the Delhi Government to 'act immediately' on the issue of horses testing positive for glanders.
PETA India sent a letter to Lieutenant Governor l Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urging them to act immediately by prohibiting the keeping and use of equines - horses, donkeys, and mules - in Delhi to protect the public.
"The group pointed out that although eight horses tested positive for glanders in 2019 and 40 in 2018, no action has been taken by the Delhi mal husbandry department to prohibit the movement of equines or conduct disease surveillance as mandated by the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in mals Act, 2009, under which glanders is a notifiable disease, and the 2019 National Action Plan for Control and Eradication of Glanders in India issued by the central government," read a press release.
"We commend the action taken by the Delhi government to address the health-care challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to the people in the state," says PETA India CEO and veterinarian Dr Mlal Valliyate.
"However, to protect the people of Delhi adequately from deadly zoonotic disease, glanders also has to be addressed by ending the use of horses for rides, to haul goods, for ceremonies, and for other purposes that are altogether unnecessary today, thanks to machinery and technology," Valliyate added.
PETA further stated that glanders is a contagious, fatal disease in horses, mules, and donkeys caused by the bacteria Burkholderia mallei and characterised by the serial development of ulcerating nodules commonly found in the upper respiratory tract, in the lungs, and on the skin.
"Humans may become infected with the disease through contact with infected mals or inhalation. Without proper treatment, it can lead to a painful death," it added.
( With inputs from ANI )