PETA India Responds to Patna Bird Flu Outbreak With ‘Go Vegan’ Billboard
For Immediate Release:
28 February 2022
Contact:
Hiraj Laljani; [email protected]
Dr Kiran Ahuja; [email protected]
Patna – The country is still reeling from the effects of COVID-19, largely believed to have stemmed or spread from a live-animal meat market, and now, avian influenza poses another threat to human health. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India hopes to save the lives of humans and chickens by erecting “bloody” billboards in Patna, where H5N1 bird flu was recently found on poultry farms, urging everyone to help combat this deadly disease by avoiding animal-derived foods.
The Patna billboard is located at Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, New Dak Bunglow Rd, Adalatganj, Kidwaipuri, Patna, Bihar 800001.
A copy of the billboard ad is available upon request.
PETA India placed a different warning billboard about zoonotic (originating from animals) diseases in Delhi last year after an 11-year-old Gurgaon child died from H5N1 bird flu. The group aims to hold the meat industry accountable for the spread of zoonotic diseases, including the deadly H1N1 swine flu, which humans contracted after it developed from viruses in farmed pigs.
“The development and outbreaks of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19, bird flu, and swine flu are as horrifying as they are preventable,” says PETA India Vegan Foods and Nutrition Specialist Dr Kiran Ahuja. “PETA India reminds everyone that you won’t be supporting disease-prone factory farms and live-animal markets if you eat vegan foods.”
According to the World Health Organization, handling diseased or dead birds and improper cooking can risk H5N1 bird flu infection, which is fatal for 60% of humans who contract it. PETA India notes that it’s common to see sick chickens on filthy factory farms and in live-animal markets.
In addition to helping fight infectious diseases, people who eat vegan reduce their risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Vegan meals also spare animals immense suffering. In today’s meat, egg, and dairy industries, huge numbers of animals are raised in vast warehouses in severe confinement. Chickens’ throats are cut while they’re still conscious, cows are forcibly separated from their beloved calves, piglets are castrated without painkillers, and fish are cut open while they’re still alive.
PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” and which opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview – offers a free vegetarian/vegan starter kit packed with tips, recipes, and more. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
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