Holy cows and dirty dogs : the influence of culture and religion on animal welfare in India

Sammanfattning: India is home to every sixth person in the world, some 30 million dogs and a quarter of the total world cattle population. A vast majority of Indians are Hindus, and even though the Hindu religion proclaims love, nurturing and worshipping of animals, sometimes the same religion constitutes an obstacle for animal welfare in practice. This paper investigates the significance of historic and religious symbols to the way animals are perceived in modern Indian society, as well as the different social factors which underlie attitudes to animals. The concept of karma, as well as that of good versus bad deaths, is probably the foundation of the general Hindu reluctance to euthanasia in any form. Although in theory all species are generally regarded as equal in Hinduism, in practice there seems to be a differentiation; for cultural, religious, medical and financial reasons. As will be exemplified with the Indian sacred cow, symbols may shape the law, but their meanings may also change depending on the legal and cultural context in which they are discussed. Some ways forward are offered to improve animal welfare in India, for the sake of the animals themselves, but also for the medical health and social status of India’s people, and for the global environment.