PETA India’s History: Compassion in Action

PETA India’s History: Compassion in Action

Founded in 2000, PETA India operates under the simple principle that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on or use for entertainment. Through investigative and legislative work, public education, animal rescues, eye-catching demonstrations, celebrity involvement and outreach with our youth division, PETA Youth, PETA India has drastically improved the quality of life for many animals and saved the lives of countless others.

Groundbreaking Investigations

PETA India’s investigation into the Indian leather industry exposed cruel transport and inhumane and filthy conditions in numerous slaughterhouses, and an undercover investigation of dairy farms revealed shocking abuse to cows and buffaloes. Our five-year investigation of poultry farms uncovered gruesome abuse, including the live scalding, starvation and mutilation of birds, and conditions that could lead to potential health hazards, including E. coli, salmonella and bird flu. After investigating more than 30 zoos, PETA India filed a case in the Supreme Court concerning the substandard and inhumane state of zoos across the country. PETA India also released an in-depth report and video on the fishing industry, exposing violations of laws, environmental devastation, risks to human health and horrendous animal suffering.

Major Accomplishments

Following PETA India’s campaign against keeping animals in zoos, the Central Zoo Authority banned the imprisonment of elephants in zoos and circuses. After exposing cruel conditions at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), PETA India helped rescue 39 animals from NIV’s laboratory. We have also received assurances from numerous universities that they will stop conducting animal dissections in zoology courses, and we successfully pressured the Medical Council of India (MCI) to withdraw its requirement that medical schools in India maintain an animal laboratory and use animals as teaching models. PETA India has also rescued numerous animals, including lions used in circuses, goats in a laboratory, birds in the pet trade and buffaloes on their way to slaughter.

Celebrity Involvement

Celebrities who have worked with PETA India include John Abraham, Shahid Kapoor, Rahul Khanna, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Celina Jaitly, Dilip Kumar, Saira Banu, Yana Gupta, Gulshan Grover, Mahima Chaudhary, Hema Malini, Atul Kasbekar, Jiah Khan, Raveena Tandon Thadani, Rahul Dev, Hemant Trevedi, Jackie Shroff, Anil Kumble, R Madhavan, Amisha Patel, Eesha Narang, Malaika Arora Khan, Shatrughan Sinha, World Billiards champion Pankaj Advani and Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, just to name a few.

Contributions

PETA India is a company limited by guarantee not for profit under section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956. Donations to PETA India qualify for deduction u/s 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961.