Jind Forest Department Books Man for Killing Monitor Lizard Following PETA India Complain

For Immediate Release:

10 January 2023

Contact:

Shilpa Chaudhary; [email protected]

Hiraj Laljani; [email protected]

Haryana – Following a complaint filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India along with video evidence, the Jind forest department registered a preliminary offence report (POR) against a man who allegedly killed a monitor lizard and hung the body on a rope. Monitor lizards are protected under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act (WPA), 1972. The POR has been registered under sections 9, 39, 48, 51, 52 and 55 of the WWPA, 1972 The offence is non-bailable and is punishable by up to seven years in jail and a minimum fine of Rs 10,000. The perpetrator was arrested, produced before a magistrate, and later released on bail by the court.

The video showing the animal’s plight can be available upon request. 

“Despite the protection conferred by our laws, this monitor lizard was made to endure terror and death,” says PETA India Cruelty Response Coordinator Shilpa Chaudhary. “We thank the forest department for its swift action letting abusers know cruelty to animals will not be tolerated.”

Research in psychology and criminology shows that people who commit acts of cruelty to animals are often repeat offenders who move on to hurting other animals, including humans. Communities now recognise that the abuse of any living, feeling being is unacceptable and endangers everyone. Children are taught to care for and respect animals by many schools in India, using using the Compassionate Citizen programme developed by PETA India.

PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – urges that the natural habitat of monitor lizards must be conserved and restored for their protection. The group also informs the public that monitor lizards eat insects and other small animals and are afraid of humans. They can usually be removed from an area simply by making a path. PETA India advises calling the forest department should anyone need more help and come across this species.

For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

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