175 horses, mules dead till date in ongoing Uttarakhand's Chardham Yatra

Three animals had died on the very first day of the journey. After this, cases of death of animals kept coming up every day for the first one month. In the first 46 days of the yatra, the owners of horses and mules have earned a lot of money, according to officials. A total of 8,516 horses and mules have been registered for Kedarnath this year to carry pilgrims and goods along the otherwise inaccessible 16 km track.

Rudraprayag: At least 175 horses and mules have died during the ongoing Chardham Yatra in Uttarakhand even as the owners have earned a lot of money in the 46 days of the yatra so far. Chief veterinary officer Dr Ashish Rawat confirmed that 175 horses and mules have died in the yatra till date, including two animals, which electrocuted on the pedestrian route. Three animals had died on the very first day of the journey. Since then, cases of deaths of animals kept coming in every day for the first month. A total of 8,516 horses and mules have been registered for yatra this year to carry pilgrims and goods along the otherwise inaccessible 16 km track.

So far, 2,68,858 pilgrims reached Kedarnath by horse and mules and returned after having darshan. The Uttarakhand High Court had on June 8 issued a notice to the State government over the deaths of horses and mules during the ongoing Chardham Yatra. Acting Chief Justice Sanjay Kumar Mishra and Justice RC Khulbe while hearing the plea filed by BJP leader Maneka Gandhi's 'People for Animals' asked the respondents to file a reply in two weeks.

Besides, the court directed the State government to constitute a committee to run the yatra safely. The plea filed by 'People for Animals' member Gauri Maulekhi submitted that hundreds of horses and mules are dying daily during the ongoing Chardham Yatra in Uttarakhand because of a fatal disease called Glanders. Maulekhi said that the government is lying about animal deaths, “while the reality is terrible”.

Maulekhi further added that hundreds of horses and mules are dying every day in Kedarnath while the State government is doing nothing. “Cruelty with animals is increasing every year. The State government had failed to frame a policy for the yatra,” she said adding the animals were overburdened even as no veterinarian had been deployed to take care of them.

She further added that many dead animals are being thrown into the rivers, which is putting the health of the pilgrims bathing in the rivers at risk. There has been an outbreak of Glanders disease among the animals, which is notifiable under the Infectious and Contagious Diseases Act 2009. She further added that none of the 10,000 horses at the yatra had been tested for the disease, thereby putting their lives at risk.