PETA Rallies Industry Support to Increase Penalties for Lawbreakers
For Immediate Release:
21 November 2002
Contact:
Anuradha Sawhney (O) 98201 22602, E-Mail: AnuradhaS@PETA.org
Mumbai — Thanks to efforts by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Maharashtra state-based persons involved with the sale, transport and slaughter of animals killed for their hides and flesh have joined with certain Maharashtra state government officials and an animal protection society in preparing a report that recommends that the penalties for cruelty to animals be substantially increased. The report highlights the need for the ineffective Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960 to be updated, which must be done at the Central Government level, and thus acknowledges that a crackdown on corrupt traders, who march cows, buffaloes and other animals to the point of collapse, then cram them into overcrowded lorries, causing many to suffer broken bones and suffocate, is in order.
Two years ago, Prime Minister Vajpayee directed state governments to strictly enforce animal transport and slaughter laws, but such enforcement is virtually impossible given the weak penalties under current law. To pressure government and industry, PETA organised a worldwide boycott of Indian leather, which gained the support of Gucci, Nike, Reebok, Adidas, DaimlerChrysler and nearly 40 other companies, costing India an estimated US$40 million in lost contracts. Ravi and Anoushka Shankar appeared in a PETA ad asking for tougher anti-cruelty laws, and dozens of other celebrities – including Manisha Koirala, Akshaye Khanna, Jackie Shroff, Anupam Kher, Shyam Benegal and Hema Malini – have signed PETA’s petition demanding that the government adopt tough new amendments to the 42-year-old anti-cruelty law. They join Sir Paul McCartney, Jackie Chan, Pamela Anderson and the Dalai Lama in condemning abuses of animals by the meat and leather industries.
Current law provides for a meagre fine of 10-50 rupees for first-time offenders convicted of cruelty to animals. The report recommends multiplying that number by at least 100 and includes provisions for the confiscation of vehicles used to illegally transport animals and jail time for repeat offenders. The notable signatories to the report are Dr V.N. Vishnupurikar, general manager of the Deonar abattoir; Dr V.T. Raikwar, veterinarian at Deonar abattoir; Moin Quereshi, chairperson of the Cattle Dealers Association; M.A. Quereshi, president of the All India Sheep and Goat Breeder and Dealer Association; Dr P.M. Naik, livestock development officer and deputy director of animal husbandry; Dr H.D. Gaikwad, deputy director of Animal Husbandry; R.H. Kadam, deputy regional transport officer and Dr A.R. Nageshkar, secretary of the Bombay SPCA.
‘Now that even the animal dealers and transporters and slaughter industries are calling for stiffer penalties for abusers, what is the Central Government waiting for?’ asks PETA research manager Poorva Joshipura. ‘The woefully inadequate Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960 must be strengthened.’
For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com.
