Handling and Welfare of Bovine Livestock at Local Abattoirs in Bangladesh

Abstract

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) allows rope casting and the tying of legs for nonhuman animal slaughter without stunning. The handling and welfare of bovine livestock (Bos indicus and Bubalus bubalis) were studied in 8 local abattoirs in 5 districts of Bangladesh. A total of 302 animals were evaluated. At the local abattoirs, approximately 1/3 of the cattle and water buffalo were either emaciated or injured/sick. The size and vigor of the animals determined the casting method. Small and weak animals were cast on concrete floors by lifting a foreleg followed by pushing, or simply by twisting the head of the animal and then binding the legs with rope. Vigorous animals such as buffalo were cast using ropes and human force. Bleeding was slow and flaying was sometimes initiated before the animals were unconscious. Pulling and tearing of the trachea and pouring of water into the exposed trachea shortly after cutting were also observed in some cases. The overall animal handling was unnecessarily rough and the OIE standards were not implemented. Animals are subjected to considerable mistreatment, and there is an urgent need for the training and education of the staff in abattoirs concerning humane slaughtering practices as well as a need to build modern slaughtering plants in Bangladesh.

The welfare of water buffaloes during the slaughter process: A review

“…The average number of buffaloes on these trucks is typically 16-18 (Alam et al, 2010a). In Bangladesh, buffaloes are walked in groups of approximately five animals to local abattoirs (Ahsan et al, 2014). A significant proportion of these animals are transported out of India to Bangladesh and other local non-Hindu countries and regions where they are slaughtered for human consumption.…”

“…Additional injuries were observed in the sacral, thoracic and shoulder areas (Ahsan et al, 2014). Many of these injuries were likely caused by direct physical trauma from other animals and objects in the vehicles.…”

“…have heightened acute-phase response when a stress stimulus is applied during handling (Francisco et al, 2012). This may lead handlers to rely more heavily on coercive practices and the use of force, especially if they are unskilled (Ahsan et al, 2014;Napolitano et al, 2013). In addition to issues associated with handling and restraint, water buffalo are more difficult to reliably stun and slaughter.…”

“…increase the speed of movement, even though they can cause pain, tissue damage and stress (Adenkola and Ayo, 2010). In other countries, such as Bangladesh, buffaloes are fit with rope halters that sometimes pass through the nasal septum, or with a simple rope around the neck (Ahsan et al, 2014). A second method is tail-twisting, which occurs when an animal refuses to move (Alam et al, 2010c).…”

“…In addition, the fact that buffaloes are considered temperamental animals may also play a role (Ahsan et al, 2014).…”