Animal Welfare in India and its scope with special reference to North-East India

As per the world organization of Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE), animal welfare means how an animal is coping with the condition in which it lives¹. An animal is in a good state of welfare if (as indicated by scientific evidence) it is healthy, comfortable, well-nourished, safe, able to express innate behavior, and if it is not suffering from unpleasant states such as pain, fear, and distress. Good animal welfare requires disease prevention and veterinary treatment, appropriate shelter, management, nutrition, humane handling, and humane slaughter/killing.

John Webster² defines animal welfare by advocating three positive conditions: Living a natural life, being fit and healthy, and being happy. Animal welfare can also be expressed in terms of the following five freedoms³ to animals:

1. Freedom from hunger or thirst by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full hea