PETA Global 2017 Issue 1

“There’s much at stake – for animals and Indian communities.”

Animal-Abusing Bullies Threaten PETA India

I ndia is known worldwide for its reverence for cows and bulls. They’re considered sacred in the Hindu religion. The diety Lord Krishna is known to love these animals and Nandi is Lord Shiva’s bull. In most Indian states, it’s illegal to kill a cow. But if you were inclined to think that cattle are treated well in India, you’d be deeply disappointed. Crudely castrated bulls are commonly forced to carry back-breaking loads at sugarcane factories, under threat of whips and spiked torture devices attached to their yokes as well as to haul overloaded carts many miles with little rest, water, or proper food. They’re marched and trucked across state boundaries so that they can be slaughtered, without being stunned first. And in sports, such as jallikattu and kambal, bulls are forced to participate in grueling cart races, fights, and “taming” contests, all for human entertainment. PETA India has fought since its inception to protect cows and bulls from all manner of abuse. In fact, its first campaign 17 years ago was against atrocities endured by cattle killed by the Indian leather industry. But it wasn’t until PETA India tackled jallikattu, or bull-taming, that

it faced a backlash in which proponents of this cruelty advocated violence, threatening PETA India CEO Poorva Joshipura with rape, and even making death threats against her and the chief veterinarian. A ‘Tradition’ of Cruelty During jallikattu, bulls are forced into a crowd of men, who chase them, twist their tails, and leap onto their backs, trying to grab prizes tied to their horns. Mobs strike the panicked animals with sticks and stab them with knives, sickles, and spears. Some panicked bulls are injured, and others die, as have some humans. Between 2008 and 2014, at least 5,000 human participants and spectators were injured – and 43 were killed. In 2011, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) made it illegal to force bulls to participate in jallikattu and other performances. And in a 2014 judgment, India’s Supreme Court confirmed this ban.

issued a notification once again permitting jallikattu and bull races. PETA India and others objected and were delighted that the Supreme Court stayed the notification. However, as the time for the jallikattu festival approached in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, all hell broke loose. Supporters of the blood sport held noisy and sometimes violent protests, burning down a police station, destroying property, blocking traffic, and taking to social media to spread false accusations about PETA India, claiming that it was working for US dairy or other corporate interests as well as that the staff members all wore leather and ate meat. PETA India staffers were threatened with physical violence, and protesters even burned Joshipura in effigy. Caving to pressure from the angry mobs, the Tamil Nadu government passed a law to allow jallikattu, in blatant defiance of national legislation. Next, protesters started calling for PETA India to be shut down and for the legalization of other cruel events, such as cockfights.

But last year, under pressure from jallikattu organizers and politicians vying to win elections, the MoEFCC

20 INDIA CRISIS