Surat Khaman Seller Nabs PETA India Award for Saving Birds

For Immediate Release:

25 January 2022

Contact:

Hiraj Laljani; [email protected]

Sanskriti Bansore; [email protected]

Surat – A Hero to Animals Award is on the way from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India to Chetan Patel, owner of the shop Jay Gopinath Khaman and Locho, based in Vesu, Surat, to thank him for his work to prevent birds and humans from being injured or killed by dangerous manja (sharp kite string). Patel does this by offering khaman in exchange for discarded manja (for example, 1 killo of free khaman is offered for equal quantities of discarded manja). Khaman, the popular, low-cost Gujarati snack, is typically vegan (free of animal-derived ingredients).

A copy of the award is available for download upon request.

“Numerous humans and thousands of birds are injured or killed every year after being cut or trapped by manja, which can get caught on trees, power lines, or buildings,” says PETA India Advocacy Associate Farhat Ul Ain. “PETA India is recognising this kind-hearted and creative businessman for setting an example of compassion for everyone to follow. His initiative is certain to go a long way towards protecting the lives of birds, humans, and other animals.”

PETA India encourages kind people to use only plain cotton thread for kite-flying, because razor-sharp strings reinforced with glass powder and metal have a disastrous impact on birds, humans, and other animals. Birds’ wings and feet are slashed and even sliced off when they fly into or become tangled in manja. Rescue organisations report that they receive distress calls about injured birds long after kite-flying events and, for some, they come too late. Manja also causes many human injuries and deaths every year. Already this year, a Telangana man died after his throat was slashed by manja as he rode his bike, and a woman in Madhya Pradesh died in a similar way.

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 Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

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