• In September, after failing to respond to the pleas of caring Indians and people all over the world to pass the much-needed amendments to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, Prime Minister Vajpayee was followed by a giant ‘cow’ holding a sign reading, ‘Vajpayee: Stop Cruel Cattle Transport,’ throughout his visit to the United States—where he was meeting with President Clinton and other leaders in New York and Washington. This protest received considerable media coverage. The ‘cow’ also demonstrated at the United Nations Millennium Peace Summit in an effort to urge the summit attendees to discuss improving the plight of Indian cattle, after PETA sent a letter to the summit organiser requesting the same. Several religious leaders signed a statement to be sent to the Indian government asking for the enforcement of Indian transport laws.
• Tamil Nadu, the state most notorious for allowing cruel and illegal shipments of cattle, began to crack down on transporters carrying cattle and other animals in overcrowded lorries. ‘Dream girl’ Hema Malini sent the Tamil Nadu police authorities flowers, thanking them for helping improve the plight of defenceless animals. Meanwhile, a report was received that cattle lorries out of Tamil Nadu were being covered with tarpaulins to avoid detection as cattle transports and that overcrowding had become even more severe, because of higher bribes demanded at border crossings.
• District- and state-level committees were formed in Kerala, but People for Animals Trivandrum informed PETA that meetings were taking place rarely, if ever, and that nothing concrete had developed as a result.
• On 22nd September, months after the launch of PETA’s campaign, the minister of commerce held a high-level meeting with the ministers of animal husbandry of all the states to come up with a plan for the implementation of animal protection laws. The Ministry of Commerce declared that monies were being freed up for improvements in state transport and slaughter.
• PETA’s research manager, Poorva Joshipura, met with various police authorities and state officials, including the minister of animal husbandry for Andhra Pradesh, who all agreed that amendments to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act need to be passed. The Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh police authorities agreed to show a video, prepared by PETA, which would aid police trainees and officers in learning how to enforce animal-protection laws.
• On 2nd October, Gandhi’s birthday, history was made with three British members of Parliament, Tony Banks, John Cummings and Ashok Kumar, following in Mahatma Gandhi’s footsteps by abstaining from food. Just as Gandhi often fasted to put pressure on the British government, on this day members of the British government turned the tables, holding the first fast ever to urge the Indian prime minister to enforce cruelty to animals laws. On the same day, a PETA activist chained himself to the Gandhi statue outside the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC, carrying a sign reading, ‘India’s Cows Betrayed.’ Ingrid Newkirk stated, ‘We are begging the prime minister to honor the memory of one of the greatest leaders and kindest men the world has ever known by stopping this horribly cruel business.’
• In late October, PETA received word that Nitish Kumar, then minister of agriculture, was opposing the amendments to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act despite the fact that the hideous torture inflicted on Indian cattle had turned the world’s stomach and had cost the Indian leather industry millions in losses from companies that did not want to support the cruelty and a tourist boycott of India had been threatened. PETA also received calls and letters from animal welfare organisations all over India claiming that animal protection committees had not been formed in their states despite the declarations of the prime minister and minister of commerce.
• Poorva Joshipura, PETA’s research manager, and Jason Baker, PETA’s campaign coordinator, conducted surprise inspections of export-level slaughterhouses, including Al-Kabeer and Hind Agro. PETA officials documented various cases of cruelty within the facilities and brought them to the attention of relevant authorities, who then pledged to rectify the matter.
Late 1998-1999
2000
January-February
March-April
May-June
July-August
September-October
November-December
2001
January-February
March-April
May-June
July-August
September-October
November-December
