Written by PETA
Representing PETA India and Animal Rahat, a panel of India's most renowned equine veterinarians – who together have more than 32 years of experience addressing India's most challenging equine welfare issues – came together with Mumbai for Horses and People for Animals to make the case that the only way to stop the abuse and suffering of horses used to pull carriages through the streets of Mumbai and avoid the traffic hazards that they cause is to enact an all-out city-wide ban on Victorias. The experts also explained that passengers, drivers and pedestrians are injured and even killed when horse-drawn carriages are involved in accidents.
Three equine experts – Dr Manilal Valliyate, director of veterinary affairs for PETA India and member of the Animal Welfare Board of India; Dr Avinash Kumar, a leading equine veterinarian who has worked for The Brooke, an equine welfare charity; and Dr Chetan Yadav, an equine veterinarian and leading animal welfare specialist working for Animal Rahat – presented graphic, never-before-seen photos and video footage proving that keeping horse-drawn carriages on the roads would only ensure that the cycle of abuse continues.
Dr Valliyate explained that once horses lose function in a joint, as happens quickly when they're made to walk on pavement or haul heavy loads, more stress will be placed on their other joints, tendons and ligaments. No veterinary medicine or surgery can cure this condition, and it cannot be reversed. The equine veterinarians also pointed out that any move to issue licenses to the city's currently filthy, decrepit and illegal stables could subject the horses to various infectious diseases – such as glanders, strangles, tetanus and equine influenza – and cause many animals to die.
Horse used to haul a carriage despite painfully swollen joints.
Furthermore, despite an order from the Bombay High Court that nongovernmental organisations be permitted to inspect horses for signs of poor health or compromised welfare and report the matter to an executive health officer and despite holding written authorisation from the Animal Welfare Board of India – a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment and Forests – to conduct such an inspection, a team of equine veterinarians from PETA and Animal Rahat was harassed and prevented from conducting inspections of the horses used to haul carriages in Mumbai by the carriage owners and drivers and their lawyer.
Thanks to the caring people in Sangli, Maharashtra, Animal Rahat veterinarians were able to vaccinate 75 donkeys to protect them from tetanus, an acute and often fatal infection of the nervous system. The animals are forced to haul bricks at a brick kiln in Ankli. Recently, three animals at the facility died of tetanus and had to suffer through painful muscle spasms. Tetanus causes many donkeys to become so weak that they cannot eat or drink, and some cannot even stand. The people who work at the brick kiln – natives of Aurangabad – contacted Animal Rahat for help.
When the veterinarians explained that all donkeys need tetanus vaccinations – along with follow-up booster shots – all the donkey owners in the brick-kiln chipped in and raised enough money to vaccinate the 75 donkeys.
In the past two months, Animal Rahat has treated more than 150 donkeys in Sangli alone, but there are many other sick, injured and exhausted donkeys, horses and bullocks in Sangli who still need help.
Working equines (horses, donkeys, etc) are highly prone to tetanus. It costs less than 20 rupees (half a US dollar) to vaccinate a donkey or a horse. Kind-hearted people can help equines by contributing to Animal Rahat.
During sugarcane season, it's common to see bullocks in Maharashtra panting and frothing at the mouth from straining to pull carts piled high with sugarcane. Their knees are swollen, and their necks and shoulders bear wounds that are a silent testimony to their daily toil under the yoke.
The bullocks forced to work on sugarcane farms are commonly denied proper food, fresh drinking water, sufficient rest and relief from the blazing-hot sun. They are yanked roughly by wires threaded through their pierced noses and are often beaten or whipped. Strands of barbed wire are sometimes put under the wooden yoke, and a thin piece of leather is attached to the whip to make it sting even more.
PETA's friends at Animal Rahat, which offers relief for India's working animals, are improving conditions for these bullocks. Animal Rahat's groundbreaking new initiative, The Tractor Project, is a way to eliminate the use of bullocks completely and replace them with small tractors. Keeping in mind the limited financial resources of poor famers to buy a motorized vehicle to haul the cane, Animal Rahat made a donation toward the purchase of five new tractors for workers at the Kranti Sugar Factory. The factory then gave the employees an interest-free loan for the rest of the cost.
Recently, five bullock owners were presented with their new tractors, and their 10 old, worn-out bullocks were released from servitude in a touching ceremony at the factory. When the bullocks arrived at Animal Rahat's Retired Bullock Home later that same day, caretakers removed their nose ropes and offered the relieved animals jaggery, a sweet treat that they love, to welcome them.
Kranti Sugar Factory along with the help of Animal Rahat is planning to distribute more tractors as they find the funds to do so. And Animal Rahat is preparing to expand The Tractor Project to other areas if possible and end the suffering of bullocks completely.
To contribute to Animal Rahat's overall efforts – which fund new initiatives, including The Tractor Project – visit Animal Rahat's fundraising page.
For three long weeks, a juvenile female crocodile was trapped in a well 35 feet deep on a farm in the Tung Village of Sangli, where passing schoolchildren pelted her with rocks. When Animal Rahat's Kiran Naik, the group's senior animal welfare assistant, heard about the reptile's plight, he sprang into action.
Kiran has extensive experience in helping reptiles and rigged a volley ball net weighted with stones to trap and safely remove the crocodile. After being examined, the 2-year-old female was allowed to rest. The next morning, with the help of the assistant conservator of forests, the crocodile was carefully cushioned and transported to the Chandoli National Park, a natural habitat of Marsh crocodiles. She was safely released and was last seen swimming where she belongs.
If you see an animal in trouble, never assume that "someone else" is taking action. Contact local authorities and PETA immediately so that we can help.
Written by Kriti-S
Late one evening in a village in Maharashtra, a terrified hyena was running to escape a pack of street dogs when she tumbled into a well that was not visible to her in the darkness and plunged 50 feet down to the bottom. She had evaded the dogs, but now she was banged up and hopelessly trapped.
A man happened to witness the hyena's fall, and he jumped into action, calling Animal Rahat, our affiliate working in the Sangli district of Maharashtra, for help. Animal Rahat promptly sent a rescue team, which quickly hatched a plan. The team lowered a large net and, after several tries, was able to scoop up the hyena and pull the scared little animal to safety.
Members of the team took the hyena to the Rajiv Gandhi Rehabilitation Centre to be checked for injuries and treated. After nearly two months of rehabilitation, the rescued hyena ate her last meal in captivity and was released back into the jungle. The area where she stepped out of her transfer cage was close to where she was found. The local forest department reported that more than a dozen hyenas—possibly from the rescued hyena's clan—are known to live in the area.
Hyenas can hear the calls of their clan from more than 2 miles away when they become separated, so it's possible that her family members heard her cries and were anxious for her safe return.
Well done, Animal Rahat! If you would like to support their hard work for animals, please visit AnimalRahat.com and make a donation to help them help animals.
They suffer from physical exhaustion, muscle strain, laboured breathing and frothing at the mouth. They are forced to work in the extreme heat and humidity without even a drop of water or a moment's rest. Yes, this is the miserable plight of thousands of bullocks who are forced to pull heavy cartloads of sugarcane.
But now, thanks to our affiliate Animal Rahat, bullocks may be spared some suffering. After continuous efforts by the Animal Rahat team, Sangli District Collector Shyam D Wardhane issued an order to the district's sugarcane mills to immediately implement laws that protect animals forced to work. Beginning immediately, the average load of each cart is to be checked and documented, and mill management is to ensure that the upper legal limit is not exceeded.
Animal Rahat and law-enforcement agencies will closely monitor the implementation of the order.
Other provisions of the order include the following:
Thanks, Mr Wardhane, for helping animals! If you witness an act of cruelty to animals, please blow the whistle. Shoot us an e-mail at Info@petaindia.org. Let's fight animal abuse together!
When it comes to helping animals forced to work, nobody does it better than PETA India's friends at Animal Rahat. Every day, these compassionate workers are in the field providing much-needed relief to bullocks, donkeys, horses and other animals. Here are just a few of the ways that Animal Rahat improved animals' lives in October:
The Animal Rahat staff also celebrated Diwali with the animals who live at their sanctuary. The bullocks enjoyed a special treacle treat and dressed up in festive finery for the occasion!
You can make a difference for exhausted, injured or ill working animals by making a contribution to Animal Rahat – either for yourself or in honour of a loved one. When you read the next report about all the animals who are better off because of Animal Rahat, you'll know that you helped make it possible!
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.
Animal Rahat – an organisation dedicated to helping animals who are forced to work – seized dozens of cruel devices used to whip and painfully restrain bullocks during the Chinchali fair and at sugar cane factories in Maharashtra. Among the shocking and gruesome-looking devices were sticks with rope used for whipping as well as razor-sharp wire and metal rods with protruding nails that are pushed into animals' necks in order to restrain or control them.
The torture devices were displayed near the office of the Ministry of Environment and Forests in Delhi, where PETA India's Director of Veterinary Affairs, Dr Manilal Valliyate, used them to call on the Ministry to pass the Animal Welfare Act, 2011, without delay.
The current Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, has minimal penalties for cruelty to animals. In the case of a first offence, the fine is 10 to 50 rupees. For second and subsequent offences, the penalty is a fine of 25 to 100 rupees and a maximum jail sentence of three months. However, it is expected that the Animal Welfare Act, 2011, will raise the penalty for cruelty to animals substantially. First offenders would face a fine of between Rs 10,000 and 25,000 or up to two years' imprisonment or both. Subsequent offences would result in even harsher punishments.
Help bulls and other animals by urging the Ministry of Environment and Forests to pass the Animal Welfare Act, 2011.
Great news from our colleagues at Animal Rahat! They not only stopped a bullock race in Maharashtra but also convinced the organisers to agree in writing to stop the races for good. This was no simple task: the team faced a mob of 5,000 people ready to participate in or watch the race. But with tact and persistence, they were able to spare the bulls from being forced to run.
Despite a recent ban on bullock racing, these cruel events are still being organised in rural areas. The bullocks are malnourished and thirsty and are routinely whipped and beaten. Cruel methods are used to keep them moving, like having pieces of barbed wire wedged underneath their harnesses. Ropes that are jammed through holes pierced in the bulls' nostrils are yanked and pulled so hard that the bulls' noses are often ripped open.
Don't let an "entertainment" event involving animals in your area go unchallenged. Contact the organisers to get it stopped, and contact us at Info@petaindia.org so that we can help.