Eighteen camels rescued on July 7, in Hosur, in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri district are now on the way back to Rajasthan from where they were illegally smuggled. Following a complaint filed by Gau Gyan Foundation, based on information they had received about camels being held illegally in Hosur, an FIR was registered by HUDCO police station under section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The camels were found to be held in two locations in Hosur. The animals, Gau Gyan Foundation, alleges in the FIR, were brought to Tamil Nadu for slaughter during Bakrid.

The complainant, Gau Gyan Foundation had also cited the 2015 Rajasthan Camel (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, that put a blanket ban on the sale of camels across state lines. In April this year the Madras High Court passed an order to prohibit illegal transport and slaughter of camels in Tamil Nadu. The court’s order was based on a 2015 public interest litigation filed by the animal-rights organisation, People for Cattle in India (PFCI). The organisation has been working with Gau Gyan Foundation to return the eighteen camels, rescued today, to their native state. Speaking to TNM, the secretary of PFCI, G Arun Prasanna, said “Earlier FIRs would not be filed usually in such cases, but following the high court order we were able to get an FIR registered. The animals were rescued at 4am this morning, and are on their way back to their natural habitat, which is Rajasthan. They will be kept in a shelter in the care of People for Animals (PFA).”