Andhra Pradesh State Forest Academy Welcomes PETA India in Leading Workshop on Protecting Animals Under Wildlife and Cruelty Laws
A two-day training-cum-sensitization workshop was conducted this week by PETA India on combating cruelty to wild animals and strengthening enforcement of animal protection laws. Nearly 100 officers, including senior officers of the ranks of Deputy Conservator of Forests, Divisional Forest Officer, Assistant Conservator of Forests, and Forest Range Officers, were also in attendance. The workshop was held at the Andhra Pradesh Forest Academy in Rajahmundry, East Godavari.
The workshop was organised as part of an initiative spearheaded under the visionary leadership of Sri B. Vijay Kumar, IFS, Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) and Director, Andhra Pradesh State Forest Academy (APSFA), Rajamahendravaram. The initiative was undertaken in collaboration with PETA India, which was invited to conduct a sensitisation workshop for APSFA’s trainee officers, staff, and faculty.
PETA India Legal Advisor & Director of Cruelty Response, Meet Ashar with the Andhra Pradesh Forest Academy officers
The workshop focused on key areas, including the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972, procedures to be undertaken in wildlife crimes, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, the convergence of WPA and PCA Act for law enforcement, and human-wildlife conflict management, with the objective of enhancing participants’ awareness and understanding of the legal, ethical, and practical aspects of wildlife and animal protection. The program was conducted with the support of Sri V. Srihari Gopal, Deputy Conservator of Forests and Course Director at APSFA, along with several Assistant Conservators of Forests. The speakers for the two-day training cum sensisation program were Meet Ashar, Legal Advisor and Director of Cruelty Response, PETA India; Mohammad Idris Khan, Head, Wildlife Wing, Sanghamitra Animal Foundation; and Gopal Surabathula, Founder and Secretary of Animal Rescue Organisation, Kakinada, whose participation and support contributed to the workshop’s success.
Recently, for the first time, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) tracked cases of cruelty against animals in the country and compiled data, noting the registration of 9,039 cases and the arrest of 10,312 persons in 2024.
In 2021, the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations released a report revealing that in the decade prior, nearly 500,000 animals were victims of crimes.
Many violent criminals have a documented history of cruelty to animals. A study published in Forensic Research and Criminology International Journal warns, “Those who engage in cruelty to any animals were three times more likely to commit other crimes, including murder, rape, robbery, assault, harassment, threats, and drug/substance abuse.”
This initiative is part of PETA India’s ongoing efforts to sensitise law enforcement personnel and empower animal rights activists across India to ensure that crimes against animals are addressed with the seriousness they deserve. Similar sensitisation workshops have previously been conducted with the Border Security Force in Gwalior; the Chhattisgarh State Police; the Goa State Police and Goa Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services; the Sikkim State Police; Pune City Police; Nagpur City Police; Mira-Bhayandar and Vasai-Virar Police; Belagavi district police; Hubli-Dharwad district police; Bengaluru City Police; Jammu, Kathua and Samba district police; Bengaluru and Chikkamagaluru Police Training Schools; Central District Delhi Police, Kerala Police Academy (KEPA), Thrissur; Bengaluru District Police; and Tumakuru District Police.
PETA India has long campaigned to strengthen the PCA Act, 1960, which contains outdated, inadequate penalties, such as a maximum fine of only Rs 50 for convicted first-time offenders (although the BNS, 2023, and WPA, 1972, prescribe stronger punishments). In a proposal sent to the central government regarding an amendment to the PCA Act, PETA India has recommended significantly increasing penalties for cruelty to animals.
