Ballia Man Arrested for Killing Cobra, Following PETA India’s Intervention

For Immediate Release:

2 April 2024

Contact:

Meet Ashar; [email protected]

Hiraj Laljani; [email protected]

Ballia – Acting on a report from a concerned citizen and a viral video showing the poor condition of a cobra who was reportedly mutilated and tortured by a man, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India worked with Ballia police and the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department to get a first information report (FIR) registered against the alleged perpetrator. The man has also been arrested.

Cobras are protected under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act (WPA), 1972. The FIR was registered under sections 9 and 51 of the WPA, 1972.  The offence is non-bailable and is punishable by three to seven years in jail and a minimum fine of Rs 25,000.

The video showing the fatal injuries sustained by the cobra is available upon request.

“This cobra was forced to endure a painful, unnecessary death,” says PETA India Cruelty Response Coordinator Sunayana Basu. “We thank the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department and Dr Bonik Chandra Brahma, IFS, chief conservator of forests, Eastern Zone, for their swift action in letting the public know that cruelty to animals will not be tolerated. We urge anyone who comes across a snake to call the forest department rather than committing a crime.”

PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – calls for the natural habitat of cobras be conserved and restored to reduce conflicts with humans. The group notes that snakes will usually leave an area themselves if a clear path is made. PETA India also advises calling the forest department for help removing snakes.

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

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