Written by Kriti-S
As 2011 – a year full of exciting victories for animals – comes to an end, we hope that the coming year will bring even more good things to our furry, feathery and finned friends. As none of our victories would have been possible without your support and help, we would like to offer you the chance to win a wonderful New Year's gift.
Yes, we are talking about the much discussed 2012 "Rescued" calendar, which contains beautiful images of animals PETA India and its affiliates around the globe have rescued.
It is super-easy to enter the contest. All you have to do is simply suggest a caption for this ultra-cute image from the calendar. The winners will be the 15 people who come up with the captions that PETA deems to be the best representations of what Priya the monkey might like to say if she could:
Priya was found clinging to her mother, who appeared to have been injured in an attack by a predator, near a hotel in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. The hotel called India Project for Animals and Nature (IPAN), run by PETA supporter Nigel Otter, who is a board member of the PETA-supported Animal Rahat organisation. Sadly, by the time IPAN arrived, the mother monkey had already died. Barely a week old, tiny Priya was taken to an animal sanctuary run by IPAN. Still very shy and timid, bright-eyed Priya is recovering from her trauma and growing up strong and healthy under the care of her sanctuary caregivers.
The last date for submitting entries is 16 January 2012. The winners will be chosen by 19 January 2012 and notified via e-mail. By commenting below, you're agreeing to our privacy policy and terms and conditions. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.
Written by PETA
Let's hear a big round of applause for our friends at Animal Rahat, a PETA-supported organisation dedicated to helping animals who are forced to work. Their efforts, along with PETA's, have resulted in the cancellation of a cruel bull-racing event in Satara, Maharashtra.
After learning that bull races were scheduled to take place in late August and early September in Aundh, Baghwadi, Kolewadi, Anjanapura, Bidal, Dhokalwadi and Padegaon in Satara district, PETA sent an urgent letter to Satara Superintendent of Police KMM Prasanna asking him to step in and stop the cruel – and illegal – events. PETA pointed out that during bull races, the animals are commonly beaten with sticks, which often have nails protruding from them, and that the races are illegal. The local police did their job admirably, stopping the races.
Thank you, Superintendent KMM Prasanna and the Satara police, for enforcing the law and common decency over the cruelty and greed that drive these spectacles.
Now that the Ministry of Environment and Forests has stated in The Gazette of India that bulls can no longer be used as "performing" animals, this means that cruel bull races are now banned everywhere in India. If you learn about any such events, please do everything in your capacity to stop them. You can also write to us at Info@petaindia.org, and we'll guide you through your efforts.
To recognise Sir Paul McCartney's work for animals and to celebrate his marriage to the beautiful Nancy Shevell, Animal Rahat – an organisation supported by PETA US that helps alleviate the suffering of animals forced to work – has named two adorable rescued puppies Paul and Nancy. A photograph of Paul and Nancy has been sent to, well, Paul and Nancy. The Beatles legend is a long-time supporter of PETA India and its global affiliates. "He and his late wife, Linda, were among the first supporters of PETA US. Sir Paul has always been concerned about the suffering of street dogs, and we hope that others will be inspired to bring a stray or shelter dog into their homes", said PETA India.
In an accompanying letter to the newlyweds, Animal Rahat programme manager Sudheesh Nair wrote that the puppies "were running in fright after having witnessed the accident which killed their mother in Sangli".
The puppies are now under the care of Animal Rahat and are doing well. See? All you need is love!
You can help end the homeless-dog and -cat crisis by always adopting and never shopping for animals.
By changing minds and changing practices, PETA India's friends at Animal Rahat are devoted to providing relief to animals forced to work. Whether they are confiscating whips and yoke spikes, providing veterinary care to elephants chained in temples or convincing owners of elderly bullocks to let their animals retire to the Animal Rahat sanctuary rather than forcing them to face the abattoir, Animal Rahat staff members are easing suffering and saving lives one animal at a time. Here are just some of Animal Rahat's accomplishments from last month:
Animal Rahat is a non-profit organisation that relies on donations from compassionate individuals to continue to provide relief for animals forced to work in India. Consider giving someone you love the gift of saving an animal's life by making a donation to Animal Rahat in his or her name.
Amidst severe flooding and heavy rain, PETA US staffers have been out in force to respond to emergency animal cases as a result of Hurricane Irene which has so far killed more than 21 people, countless animals and left an estimated two million people without power.
What follows is an account from Ingrid Newkirk – PETA US’s Founder:
“It’s Sunday morning, our building is in tatters, two of our vehicles have cried “uncle,” but we have two more, and they and we are still going strong. We are all so glad to keep getting the calls. Last night was very hard indeed: our journeys took us into dark, deserted streets without traffic lights, deep in water, all bridges closed, tunnels and many roads impassable, tree limbs blowing about like kudzu. It took us longer to get a mile than to go five on a good day. We often had to turn back to find a new route through to our destination as cars were abandoned, their lights below the water. But it was a successful night for some animals! I shan’t tell you about them all as we are leaving again now, but just a few of our rescues.
Just before dark, we received a call about a dog, named Nikita. The winds were nearing 70 mph. He had been in a pen, with only one sheet of wood above him for “shelter” for three days. His people had left town. He came with us. His PETA staff foster parents, report, “He is a real trooper…he was so happy to be inside. He warmed right up to us, within an hour he was running around like he’d always lived with us; we even played tug of war! He lay on the couch, the floor, the chair, with us, wherever we were, he was. At one time he heard a noise at the door, to which he promptly growled at the possible impending intruder, to scare them off and protect us, even after humans had wronged him.”
Early this morning, just as the water receded, leaving us to survey the extent of the damage to our building, a call came in from a fire department. A dog had wandered in, old and covered in mange, and collapsed on their floor. The marks of where he once had a collar are around his neck, and he has more sores than hair. He is now , sleeping after a welcome meal.
Thank you to everyone for asking about us, to the staff who stayed in the swaying building all night, all the people who did not evacuate but stayed to take calls and go on them; our vice-president in charge of emergency response, who was out all night, and had to swim the final block home, her waders no longer tall enough (to her waist!) to keep the water out, the road to deep to drive through, only to be called out again. Thank you to the staff and volunteers and interns who made calls for three days straight to urge people to take their animals inside, and to operations crew who provided everything we needed; and to everyone out there now trying to remove the debris, and to so many more.”
Recovery from this disaster is going to take months. People in the hardest hit areas will continue to need pet food and veterinary supplies for weeks to come, as will the animal shelters, which will also need to house animals until their homeless guardians are able to find somewhere to live. You can help fund PETA US’ work and other rescue work by making an urgent donation
As the month of August begins, so do Nag Panchami preparations, which include capturing snakes. Snakes are captured in suffocating bags, kept in tiny boxes and starved. Their teeth are violently yanked out, and many snakes' mouths are painfully sewn shut before the animals are brought into cities. The snakes' venom ducts are often pierced with a hot needle, which causes the glands to burst. Some snakes go blind because the "tikka", which is applied to their hoods during pooja, trickles into the snakes' eyes.
You can help! If you see snake charmers, contact PETA India on (0) 98201 22602 and we will try to find a snake rescuer in your area to help immediately.
You can also inform your state forest department if you see a snake who needs to be rescued, or you can contact the police and file a complaint under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 as well as the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960.
According to the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, it is a crime for snake charmers to catch snakes, exploit them for business purposes or even own them. Under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, it is illegal to torture or cause unnecessary pain or suffering to an animal.
You can also help by taking the pledge to boycott snake shows now!
In the wake of a series of deadly bomb attacks in Mumbai, PETA India went searching for animal survivors. However, the hardest-hit areas were cordoned off. Complicating the situation were the heavy monsoon rains that forced animals to seek shelter. PETA India staff left our contact details with security personnel and then took our plea to citizens through Facebook and Twitter, asking that anyone who sees an injured or distressed animal call PETA India, the Bombay SPCA or a local veterinarian.
A dog hurt in the attacks was treated by the Bombay SPCA, and as a result of our online appeal, PETA India received numerous calls about animals who needed help in places that were not targets of the blasts.
It's important to stop and help animals in need. If you don't, who will? Always keep PETA India's number handy as well as the numbers of local veterinarians. Be sure to stay with the injured animal until help is provided.