PETA 'OWL POLICE' DISPATCHED TO THRISSUR

For Immediate Release:

10 November 2009

Contact:

Ashish Verma (0) 9970802805; AshishV@petaindia.org

Thrissur -- Following the theft of two Barn Owls from the Thrissur Zoo, an "Owl" clad in a police uniform will stand outside the zoo's gates on Tuesday to draw attention to the dangers that captive animals face and to call on authorities to shut the facility down for good. Activists will hand out leaflets and speak out in behalf of the Owl who was stolen from the zoo. 

Date:   Tuesday, 10 November

Time:   12 noon to 1 pm

Place:  In front of the Government Museum and Zoo, Chembukavu,

Thrissur         

Why is PETA so upset about the theft? Zoos claim that they educate people and save endangered species, but incidents such as this prove that zoos have become death traps for animals. Thrissur Zoo has a history of neglecting the animals it incarcerates.

Despite their professed concern for animals, zoos can more accurately be described as collections of interesting specimens than as havens or homes. Even under the best of circumstances, life in captivity cannot begin to replicate life in an animal's natural habitat. Animals are often denied everything that is natural and important to them, such as the opportunity to run, roam, fly, climb, forage, choose a partner and live with others of their own kind. Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to interfere with animals' lives and keep animals in cages where they are bored, cramped, lonely, unable to control their own lives and far from their natural homes.

"The best way to help animals is to conserve their natural habitats and to boycott zoos and other attractions which exploit them", says PETA India campaigns coordinator Ashish Verma. "It's up to the public to acknowledge that we are doing animals a profound injustice by warehousing them in zoos."

For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com.

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