2015: An Awesome Year for Animals

Well, here we are in 2016! But before we get too far into the new year, check out some of the most inspiring PETA India victories and progress that supporters like you helped PETA India achieve in 2015:

• Following complaints filed against Grand Circus, New Rambo Circus, World Champion Circus, Great Kamal Circus, and Great Indian Circus by Animal Welfare Board of India–authorised inspectors from PETA India or Animal Rahat – an animal-protection organisation focused on veterinary intervention – the circuses relinquished the animals they used and became 100 per cent animal-free.
• The highest animal husbandry authority in India – the Commissioner of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (DADF) – issued a circular to animal husbandry directors in all states and union territories stating that cattle must be given anaesthetics prior to castration and that when euthanasia is required, such as to alleviate suffering from terminal illness, it must be done in a painless manner by a veterinarian.
• Karnataka became the third state in India to call for mandatory administration of anaesthetics to eliminate fear and pain during the castration of bulls.
• After extensive campaigning by PETA and others, in June the Bombay High Court directed that horse-drawn carriages be phased out in Mumbai within a year.
• PETA welcomed the Maharashtra government’s ban on the sale and use of deadly nylon manja – sharp kite strings that kill birds and people. For years, PETA has extensively campaigned against manja, leading many other cities and states to ban or restrict different types of manja, and we are calling for a nationwide ban.
• The president of the student wing of the Indian National Congress, National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), issued a circular to all its units in India directing them to “refrain from using any animals as part of any NSUI rally, protest or any other purpose”.
• Five alleged culprits who were secretly filmed kidnapping a monkey from Varandha Ghat outside Pune were caught by forest officials and were sent to jail on a 24-hour judicial remand after PETA reported the crime to the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau. PETA worked with forest officials to successfully reunite traumatised monkey with her family.
• Education got a whole lot cooler andkinder for students attending governmental schools in Delhi, Goa, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh. That’s because after meeting with PETA, education officials issued circulars urging schools to implement PETA’s humane-education programme, Compassionate Citizen. Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is already using Compassionate Citizen.
• Following the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) advisory encouraging CBSE-affiliated schools to use canvas shoes for school uniforms instead of leather, the governments of Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Telangana have taken steps to urge students to wear canvas shoes in schools instead of leather or confirmed that they already do after hearing from PETA.
• Following PETA’s victory in 2014 in liberating an elephant named Sunder from an abusive life at a temple in Maharashtra, we teamed up with the Bannerghatta Biological Park, where Sunder now lives, to create India’s first forested elephant sanctuary. This vast, 49.5-hectare space houses 15 elephants and allows the herd to roam, bathe in ponds and socialise.
• PETA Youth introduced its innovative “I, Chicken” wireless virtual reality (VR) experience, which uses the latest VR viewers inspired by Google Cardboard. This project is being taken to college campuses across the nation so that students can find out firsthand what life is like for chickens.
• PETA US’ new walking, talking 6.5-foot-tall robot named Ellie was voiced by actor Priyanka Chopra, star of the hit show Quantico. Ellie is starting a school tour that will take her all over the US, Europe and India, too.
• Following a campaign by PETA India, the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar sent letters to all political parties in the state reminding them to follow the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) 2012 advisory, which urges parties to refrain from using animals in political campaigns. Letters have also been sent to District Magistrates in all Bihar districts to ensure strict compliance with the ECI advisory.

Check out what else PETA India did for animals in 2015!

By becoming a member of PETA India, you can help us achieve more victories such as the ones listed above for animals in 2016.

Become a member today!