Trigger warning: animal abuse
I have spent more than three years as an emergency response coordinator for PETA India, helping rescue abused, neglected, and injured animals. I hope everyone—young and old—will speak out against cruelty inflicted on animals.
Now, more than ever, it’s vital for each one of us to stand up for what’s right and take action against cruelty against animals.
A 2021 report by the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations and All Creatures Great and Small revealed that between 4,93,910 animals were victims of crimes committed by humans, between 2010 and 2020.
This figure pertains mostly to companion animals, working animals, and animals on the streets.
The rescue team at PETA India receives more than 90,000 emergency calls a year, and through NGO (non-governmental organisation) partners and volunteers in many places across India, we strive to help every animal we can.
We work with local police officers and other law enforcement authorities to ensure people abusing animals are booked under the most stringent legal provisions.
Working Towards Ending Animal Abuse
We worked with the Gwalior police, for example, to register a first information report against a man who allegedly killed a community dog, by repeatedly beating the animal with a rod, and then chopping off its leg with a knife.
Among other things, we offered rewards totaling ₹50,000 to anyone who provided information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for burning a dog to death in Raipur. We also helped identify and nab the people who dismembered and beheaded a cat in Mumbai.
We identified the man captured picking up a dog by the ears and pressing on the yelping animal’s skull, on camera. He continued to do so until a cow rushed in and pushed the perpetrator to the ground, allowing the dog to escape.
We saved a crying cat and her kitten who were trapped in a ventilation shaft for eight days.
We also spoke out on behalf of dogs who were reportedly caged, hit, and denied adequate food at Puppy Cuddles Dog Café, prompting the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to issue a notice to close the café.
Our team convinced the Rewa police in Madhya Pradesh to book three cow smugglers who had chopped off a cow’s leg.
The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals Act
We helped rescue three weak and starving dogs from an illegal boarding facility in Kalyan, and located a sterilised dog who had been illegally relocated to a municipal corporation facility.
Our team has helped prevent, alleviate, and stop the suffering of countless animals. But, we need your help, too.
Please come forward whenever you see or hear about an animal in distress, and join us in working to strengthen our country’s laws against cruelty to animals.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960) is India’s primary animal protection law. The intent of the law—to prevent pain and suffering—is something compassionate people can get behind, but parts of the law are archaic, and some of the current penalties are too weak to deter people from abusing animals.
People convicted of cruelty to animals often only have to pay a paltry fine of ₹50—about the cost of a bottle of Coca-Cola in India. Let’s request for stronger penalties to help prevent cruelty to animals.
Animals Feel: Love, Pain, Fear
PETA India has asked authorities to ensure that people who abuse animals should serve jail time, pay significant fines, receive psychological counselling, and be banned from ever interacting with animals again.
Together, we can make a difference for animals. Never remain silent if you see that an animal is being treated unkindly or you come across cruelty to animals in any form. Let others know.
When people share information about cruelty to animals on social media, many others are outraged and demand that the culprit(s) be punished to the full extent of the law.
The good news is that, owing to the efforts of PETA India and other caring people, times are changing.
As people learn that animals are more like us than they are different from us—that they feel pain and fear, love one another, and value their lives—they are less likely to accept activities that cause suffering to animals.
Vegan Products Are Available In The Market
Most people now agree that animal companions should not be mistreated, and many extend this understanding to animals used and abused for food, clothing, entertainment, or experimentation.
These days, vegan meats and dairy-free milk are widely available in India. Regulatory bodies, including the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission and the Bureau of Indian Standards, have replaced various tests on animals with non-animal methods.
Saw game changers on Netflix. Being a vegetarian athlete has made me realise what I have believed all these years regarding diet was a myth. What an amazing documentary and yes I’ve never felt better in my life after I turned vegetarian.
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) October 23, 2019
Educational institutions have introduced human patient simulators instead of teaching and training students using animals.
Meghalaya’s environment minister is encouraging vegan leather production using pineapples. I think that this is a move that will protect both, the animals and environment.
Horse-drawn carts have been banned in cities like Delhi and Mumbai as a result of their inherent cruelty and the danger they pose to the public.
Animals Have The Right To Life
The Animal Welfare Board of India has issued an advisory asking those in the film industry to prioritise the use of computer-generated imagery and other modern methods over live animals.
In our country, animals are often worshipped and they are culturally respected. In fact, it’s a constitutional requirement to be kind to animals.
The Delhi High Court has recognised that the right to life extends to animals, conferring on them the right to live a life of intrinsic worth, honour, and dignity. The court observed that speciesism (human supremacy over animals) is comparable to social evils such as racism and sexism.
We should be proud that India is known for such progress and compassion and do everything we can to live up to this reputation.
If you see an animal in distress or in need of any help, you can reach out to PETA India at any time on 9820122602.
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Written by Swapnil Tiwari. He is an emergency response coordinator at PETA India.