Film Star Urges Members of Parliament to Strengthen Outdated Laws
For Immediate Release:
30 July, 2001
Contact:
Jason Baker (0) 98201 22602
New Delhi – He fights against evil forces in his movies and now superstar Steven Seagal is seeking justice in real life too—this time for animals. The guru of action films has fired off a letter to all members of the Indian parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha), urging them to support the passage of amendments to Parliament strengthening the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960.
Last month, more than thirty film stars, including Raveena Tandon, Jackie Shroff, Juhi Chawla and Manisha Koirala, signed PETA's petition requesting that the minister of law, justice and company affairs to encourage the introduction of the amendments, which call for improved care standards for animals used in experiments, for entertainment, and during slaughter, and would require all states to organize active animal welfare boards and more clearly define what constitutes animal cruelty. This would give the police increased power to fight animal cruelty.
Writes Seagal, "The current Act, passed four decades ago, has never been updated and imposes only minimal fines even for the most heinous crimes — Perhaps the most poignant example of the law's shortcomings is the unlawful treatment of Indian cattle, sheep, goats and other animals during transport to slaughter. The passage of the amendments will help restore the world's confidence in India's compassion for animals."
Following undercover investigations from April 1999 through December 2000, PETA exposed India's cruel underground leather and meat trade and documented grotesque violations of the law. Since India's Constitution prohibits killing healthy, young cattle, dealers often deliberately break their legs so that they can be declared fit for slaughter. Handlers force cattle to march hundreds of kilometers in searing heat by snapping the bones in their tails and rubbing tobacco and chili peppers into their eyes. Although the current law states that no more than six cattle can be transported per lorry, up to forty are crammed on top of each other on long, hot trips to slaughterhouses. Once they arrive at the abattoirs, many have their legs hacked off while still conscious or may be skinned alive.
PETA presented evidence gathered during the investigation to the Prime Minister and to The Council for Leather Exports (CLE), which promised to improve conditions by compelling federal and state governments to enforce animal protection laws. PETA set aside its campaign against Indian leather for one year, but now plans to relaunch the campaign because the violations continue unabated.
In support of PETA's campaign, European retail giant Marks and Spencer last month announced that it has phased out its use of leather from Indian cows and will not purchase Indian skins again until PETA's request for improvements in animal handling are met. Marks and Spencer joins international retailers, including Gap, Inc., J.Crew, Clarks, Florsheim, Nordstrom, and Wolverine Worldwide in ending contracts for Indian leather goods after finding the treatment of animals, as documented by PETA, completely unacceptable.
For more information on PETA's efforts to get the amendments passed, visit PETAIndia.com.
