Raipur Native and MBBS Student is PETA India’s Volunteer of the Year
For Immediate Release:
04 December 2024
Contact:
Atharva Deshmukh; [email protected]
Hiraj Laljani; [email protected]
Raipur—In honour of International Volunteer Day (5 December), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has awarded Raipur native Rishabh Verma, an MBBS student of Lord Buddha Koshi Medical College in Bihar, the title of 2024 Volunteer of the Year.
Verma, who is vegan, started volunteering for PETA India in 2022 and has worked alongside the group on various initiatives to raise awareness about animal rights, from organizing youth outreach events and participating in street-theatre-style demonstrations. He has acted on several cruelty-to-animals cases, too, including one where he persuaded forest officials to seize a turtle kept in a plastic jar at a restaurant. He got community dogs on his college campus sterilised with help from a private veterinarian and cared for them in his hostel room until they were fit to release. He never misses an opportunity to speak up for animals and to spread awareness about the benefits of vegan eating. That care extends to his role as the guardian of a beloved community dog named Luna.
“Whether he’s steering friends and family away from meat and dairy foods or stepping in to rescue animals from terrible abuse and neglect, Rishabh Verma’s unwavering dedication to helping animals is truly commendable,” says PETA India Campaigns Coordinator Atharva Deshmukh. “PETA India is delighted to honour him for serving as a living, breathing reminder to others to always treat living beings of every species with kindness and respect.”
PETA India’s annual “Volunteer of the Year” award recognises an outstanding volunteer who has shown exceptional commitment and impact. This recognition celebrates their achievements and inspires others to join the animal rights movement, reinforcing the importance of volunteerism in creating a better world for all sentient beings.
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, Facebook, or Instagram.
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