PETA India’s ‘Giant Condoms’ Promote Animal Birth Control Ahead of World Spay Day

For Immediate Release:

23 February 2024

Contact:

Atharva Deshmukh; [email protected]

Hiraj Laljani; [email protected]

Bhopal – Dressed as giant condoms and holding signs that read, “Dogs Can’t Use Condoms. Sterilise Them”, two People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India supporters will hand out leaflets promoting sterilisation in Bhopal on Friday ahead of World Spay Day (27 February). Our goal? To help residents brush up on their ABCs: Animal Birth Control.

When:             Friday, 23 February, 12 noon sharp

Where:           Boat Club, Shyamla Hills, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462001

 “Every year, millions of dogs and cats suffer on the streets or languish in animal shelters because there aren’t enough good homes for them,” says PETA India Campaigns Coordinator Atharva Deshmukh. “PETA India urges everyone to get dogs and cats sterilised. And if you’re considering welcoming a dog or a cat into your family, never buy one – always adopt a homeless animal instead.”

In Bhopal and across India, dogs and cats struggle to survive on the streets. Many go hungry, are deliberately injured or killed, get hit by vehicles, or are abused in other ways. Countless others end up in animal shelters due to the lack of good homes. Every time someone buys a dog or a cat from a breeder or a pet store, a homeless animal roaming the streets or waiting in an animal shelter loses a chance at finding a home. An estimated 80 million cats and dogs are living on the streets in India according to the State of Pet Homelessness Index, a report by Mars Petcare India in partnership with an advisory board of leading animal welfare experts.

The solution is as easy as ABC. Sterilising one female dog can prevent 67,000 births in six years, and sterilising one female cat can prevent 4,20,000 births in seven years. Sterilised animals also lead longer, healthier lives and, in the case of males, are less likely to roam, fight, or bite.

The central government has notified states of the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, under The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. As per the Rules, the Animal Birth Control programme for the sterilisation and immunisation of community dogs is to be carried out by the respective local bodies, such as municipal corporations, municipalities, or panchayats. PETA India encourages dog and cat guardians to get their companion animals sterilised so that as many puppies and kittens who have already been born have the best chance at finding a good home and living the life they deserve.

PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

#