New Illegal Donkey Slaughter Investigation by PETA India Exposes Appalling Cruelty as Donkey Numbers Plummet

On 18 October, PETA India held a press conference to share the findings of its new undercover investigation into the illegal slaughter of donkeys and the sale of their meat in Andhra Pradesh. PETA India recently visited Bapatla, Chirala, Ongole, Tadepalle, and Vijayawada and documented the following:

• Butchers slitting donkeys’ throats on roadsides, under flyovers, and behind makeshift stalls
•  Adults forcing children to help with the illegal slaughter, exposing them to blood and desensitising them to violence
• Stray dogs consuming leftover donkey meat, skins, and the offal dumped in the open
• Merchants selling prohibited donkey meat in full public view; a police officer purchasing the meat instead of taking legal action – recorded on video
• The transport of donkeys late at night in order to evade the police, reaching slaughter sites early in the morning

A recent discovery by PETA India led to a joint operation with the Bapatla police and Animal Rescue Organisation, Help for Animals Society, and East Godavari SPCA to seize over 400 kilograms of donkey meat. Donkey meat is sold in the state based on bogus, unscientific claims of health and other benefits made by butchers.

In India, killing and eating donkeys – whose population has declined by 61% in a seven-year period – violates a number of laws. Donkey slaughter violates Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and is punishable with a jail term of up to five years, a fine, or both. Killing donkeys is also an offence under Section 11(1)(a) and (l) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Consumption of donkey meat is illegal under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and slaughtering animals in public places is banned under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001.