Supreme Court Dismisses Plea Against Slaughter Of Buffaloes Inside Gujarat Zoo To Feed Animals

The Supreme Court today dismissed a plea challenging the slaughter of buffaloes inside the premises of two zoos in Gujarat for feeding wild animals housed there.

A bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta refused to interfere with a Gujarat High Court order which had dismissed a public interest litigation filed by two charitable trusts against the practice followed at Sakkarbaugh Zoo.

Justice Mehta observed, “All this compendium (of rules) is meant for slaughterhouses where slaughter is done for human consumption…Let them manage the zoo as they want to. As a matter of fact, you should have filed a PIL saying that remove these zoos. That is also cruelty to animals.”

Appearing for the petitioners, Senior Advocate Nikhil Goel argued that slaughter of animals within zoo premises required regulation, even if it was not being done for commercial purposes.

“The slaughter of any animal within the premises of a zoo has to be regulated. Simply because it is done for the non-commercial purposes the regulations don't go,” he submitted.

Goel referred to the Supreme Court's judgment in Common Cause v. Union of India (2017) and submitted that pursuant to directions issued in that case, the government had identified 24 regulations governing pre-slaughter, slaughter and post-slaughter stages.

He argued that only one out of the 24 regulations may not apply because the meat was not meant for human consumption, but the remaining regulations would still apply.

Goel submitted that unlike other zoos in India, where tenders are issued for supply of processed meat or food, two zoos in Gujarat permitted live buffaloes to be brought into the zoo premises and slaughtered there.

“When an animal is slaughtered, there is a there's a pollution impact, there is a water impact…It is only in these two zoos in the State of Gujarat that they permit livestock to be brought in, slaughtered within the premises of the zoo and then use the edible part and then they say that you take the rest away,” he submitted.

He further argued that slaughtering animals inside the zoo premises amounted to operating a slaughterhouse and therefore required compliance with laws including the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and licensing requirements.

Justice Nath said that the Court was not convinced. Justice Mehta observed that the compendium relied upon by the petitioners was prepared for slaughterhouses where animals are slaughtered for human consumption.

The Court dismissed the petition.

Background

The Gujarat High Court dismissed the PIL filed by the petitioner challenging the handling and slaughtering of buffaloes within Sakkarbaugh Zoo premises by a contractor engaged through a tender process.

The petitioner alleged that there was no recognised slaughterhouse inside the zoo and that animals were being slaughtered in an unauthorised and unregulated manner.

The High Court noted that the zoo authorities had replied to a legal notice stating that the zoo functioned under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and the regulations framed by the Central Zoo Authority.

The zoo authorities also stated that the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011 did not apply because the meat was not meant for human consumption.

Rejecting the PIL, the High Court held that reliance on the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011 was “wholly misconceived” in the context of animals being slaughtered for consumption by wild animals kept in the zoo.

The High Court also observed that the petitioners had not shown any harm to the public at large or any distress caused to zoo visitors due to the slaughtering activity.

Case no. – SLP(C) No. 17088/2026

Case Title – Animal Welfare Foundation v. Secretary