Maharastra, Mumbai, Monday 20th June 2011. In a move that could give sleepless nights to policy makers & animal offenders & more importantly some of the leading Animal Activists who made their presence felt in a rather different way to express their concern for the animal brutality & exploitation. Bollywood model & Actress Kavita Radheshyam turned Social Activist took the world in storm when she stripped before camera & went nude to show her anger & expression against animals & hit headlines. Kavita is an upcoming actress & has received an outstanding Acting Degree in an Acting Institute situated in Mumbai. Many people discarded her theory of nudity as an expression of her feelings & raise her voice for voiceless animals as ‘cheap publicity stunt’ as she says that ‘if at all I wanted to show my skin I could have done so in any of the leading magazine covers to help them selling their copies’, says Kavita in a candid & frank interview to Satya Brahma, Chairman & Editor-In-Chief of Indian Affairs, India’s first pink magazine on current affairs, www.indianaffairs.in ) & Pharmaleaders Magazine, India’s voice of healthcare Industry ( www.pharmaledaers.co.in ). After that photo-shoot that hit internet & other news portals, Kavita is flooded with calls as to why she did it & what was the necessity of being bold & expression of anger by going nude, although she has said so many occasions that This is my protest in my own way to show my anger towards the cruelty on animals that takes place in India." Kavita elaborates the logic behind the photoshoot & the message behind this as she says “I intentionally did this to look like a porn & sleazy so as to raise everybody’s eyeballs by looking & my pictures a slutty & whory make-up to spread my message in the international to draw the attention of my cause”. Here is an Indian Affairs exclusive.
Those who know Kavita will also find out that she has been an out of box thinker who has always taken the world in a rather unconventional ways as she says…Animals deserve rights, regardless of how they taste or how convenient it is to experiment on them. Like humans, animals are capable of suffering and have an interest in leading their own lives. They are not ours to use for food, clothing, experimentation or entertainment. Are animals treated well in this country? Not really. Are animal rights given due importance? Not beyond paper presentations. The truth is that many of us feel strongly about any form of cruelty to animals. However, what can we do to stop this from happening? Here is a good way to start ‘find out who or which authority investigates the anti cruelty laws in your area. You can get in touch with local humane societies, animal shelters or societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals (SPCA's). You can also contact your area SHO for help, she adds…she further goes on to say that to Provide factual statements to the officer in writing. If possible, take pictures of the situation and mention the date and time of the incident. In case the earlier steps do not work, submit the documents with a local government official, say for instance, the local MLA. You can also report the matter at the local police station. Getting expert witnesses such as a veterinarian will make your case strong. If nothing works, approach the local newspaper or TV station to spread the story to masses. This will force the local officials to take an immediate action against the offender. She urges the citizens to report the matter to a police officer above the rank of a constable. If your request goes unheard on the pretext that there are many other serious problems to be dealt with, you can gently remind them that the PCA Act, 1960 is applicable to be enforced by them. Another alternative is to approach the police along with a group of animal rights activists & You can also inform the police over the phone by dialing 100 (Central Control Room), if there is an emergency you want to report about violation of animal rights. You can call as an anonymous if you do not wish to reveal your identity. She questions that we belong to a country where animals have been loved and even worshipped. Have we become so indifferent and greedy that we no longer care about protecting these animals from exploitation and neglect? Why people are silent on these issues & take –up these matters to various authorities.
It is pertinent here to note that The environment ministry has proposed a new rule that will require pet shops to have mandatory licenses for operations and carrying each species. This rule will also permit shops to sell only sterilized pets. However, an exception may be made with the permission of a veterinarian. Very soon a license may be mandatory to own pets as well. Also, the well-being of your pet will be examined by government officials at regular intervals. If your pet is found sick, government officials (animal welfare India) will be authorized to confiscate it.The license would be valid for one year. The pet owner can get the license directly from local authorities or with the help of pet sellers.However, the rules which prescribe the air- conditioned living of animals up for sale, still has to be implemented by municipal corporations and the Animal Welfare Board of India. The rules also state that the surrounding temperature for the animal should range from 25-30degC. The rule bars establishing a pet shop near a butcher shop. The rule also requires pet sellers to attach a label on the health conditions of the animals. Indian Affairs contacted the Ministry to find out the laws to curb these cruelty on animals, a noted bureaucrats attached with Ministry of Environment & Animal Welfare said, it is very much there as you can see that A draft Animal Welfare Act 2011, proposed by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), has listed out punishment for not looking after the animals used for medical experimentation purposes. These animals include monkeys, rabbits, mice, etc. According to the draft, the killing of a mouse or even injuring it could ask for a jail term of five years or/and a fine of 1 Lakh INR. The Scientific community associated with biomedical research is mulling about the new proposal as it could seriously hamper research activities in the country. In reaction, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has called all its scientists for an urgent meeting to discuss this matter. Surprisingly, under Section 304 A of the IPC, punishment for death of a person by accident invites for only a two year imprisonment. Does this mean that killing a rat for medical purposes is a more severe crime than killing a human being? The principle of ‘Animal Rights’ is also called as animal liberation. This has assumed a lot of significance as there are many international organizations working to protect animals. However, India still lags far behind in the context of implementing animal rights.
Kavita has reiterated her pursuance to come forward in a bigger way to protest the pharmaceutical companies who use animals in clinical trials to test the efficacy of drugs as she says that I am deeply disturbed by these developments & would like to call upon the companies to stop this cruelty on these voiceless animals who are being killed.
Listed here are statistics in the following categories: Animals Used as Food, Animal Agriculture and Environment, Animal Testing, Companion Animals, Animals in Human Entertainment, Fur, Wildlife, and Activism. Animals Used as Food… 10 Billion, 27 Million, and 19,000: Every year, 10 billion domesticated land animals are slaughtered for food in the United States — 27 million each day and 19,000 every minute. 50 Billion and 1,680: Worldwide, the yearly slaughter count is more than 50 billion. Every second, 1,680 animals are killed for food. Most farmed animals are killed when they are barely adolescents or even younger, such as the "broiler" chickens raised for meat who are slaughtered at only 6–7 weeks old. 250 Million Chicks: The U.S. egg industry suffocates, gases, or grinds up alive 250 million male chicks each year; they are not profitable because they will never produce eggs and are not bred to grow at an unnatural speed like broiler chickens. 5.5 Million Calves: The 4.5 million calves in Europe and 1 million calves in the United States annually destined to become veal are forcibly pulled away from their mothers — dairy cows — within hours, or at most 1–2 days, of birth. The milk produced naturally by the mother's body for her calf, who normally would suckle for 6 to 12 months, is to be taken for sale to humans, so the calf is fed nutritionally deficient formula. His movement is severely restricted, to give his flesh the texture and color desired by human consumers. 90 Percent of Soybeans and 80 Percent of Corn: More than 90 percent of soybean meal grown in the United States is used to feed animals being raised for human food; these animals also consume 80 percent of corn grown in the United States. Animal Agriculture and Environment. 70 Percent of Land: In the Amazon, 70 percent of once-forested land is now used for grazing cattle.18 Percent of Greenhouse Gas Emissions:
Animal agriculture is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions — more than all the planes, trains, ships, and automobiles in the world combined. Animal agriculture is responsible for an astonishing 65 percent of nitrous oxide emissions (a gas with a global warming potential [GWP] 296 times that of CO2), 37 percent of methane (GWP 23 times that of CO2), and 9 percent of CO2. 37 Percent of Pesticides and 50 Percent of Antibiotics: Animal agriculture uses 37 percent of all pesticides and 50 percent of antibiotics and contributes enormously to water pollution, endangering human and nonhuman animal health and life. Animal Testing: 25 to 100 Million Animals: More than 25 million vertebrate animals are used in testing in the United States each year — including monkeys, chimpanzees, beagles and other dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, birds, farm animals, and still other sentient beings. After the experiments conclude, essentially all of the animals who have survived the research are killed. When invertebrate animals are considered, the estimated number rises to as high as 100 million. 50 Drugs:Despite all this suffering in the name of determining safety for humans, as of 2002, more than 50 drugs tested on animals and approved by the FDA as safe had been taken off the market or relabeled because they had caused serious illnesses and death in humans. The FDA itself estimated in 2006 that 92 percent of drugs that pass animal testing fail in human clinical trials. Companion Animals. 6 to 8 Million Dogs and Cats: Every year, 6 to 8 million dogs and cats enter shelters, and 3 to 4 million shelter dogs and cats are killed. 80 Percent of Puppies:
Most pet store puppies (and 80 percent of the American Kennel Club's business) come from puppy mills, mass-breeding operations in which ill, suffering dogs are kept in deplorable conditions. They breed between 2 and 4 million puppies each year. Examples of Animals in Human Entertainment. 7,600 Puppies and 11,400 Young or Adult Dogs: In 2000 approximately 7,600 greyhound puppies deemed not fast enough to race were killed, as were an estimated 11,400 "retired" dogs. Retired greyhounds, who suffer greatly as racers, may also be sold to research labs or used to breed future litters. 100 Percent of Major Circuses: Every major circus featuring animals has been cited for violations of the minimal standards of care under the Animal Welfare Act. The very nature of traveling circuses means that beyond cruel, highly abusive training and fear-induced performances, the elephants and other animals must also endure countless hours and days confined in boxcars and trailers.Fur. 350,000 Baby Seals:
In 2006 more than 350,000 baby seals were killed, mostly by clubbing, in the annual Canadian seal hunt; 98 percent of the slaughtered harp seals were less than 3 months old. Forty-two percent of the seals in a 2001 study by veterinarians were found to be skinned while alive and conscious.30 Million: More than 30 million mink, foxes, chinchillas, and other animals are killed on fur farms each year, by such methods as electrocution and poisoning. Neither fur farms nor the methods by which trapped animals can be killed are regulated by any U.S. laws. 2 Million Dogs and Cats:
Some fur trims and clothes labeled as fake or as from another animal are actually made from dog and cat fur exported by China, where the more than 2 million dogs and cats per year killed for fur suffer unspeakable cruelties, including sometimes the documented horror of being skinned alive. Wildlife :3,000 Gorillas and 4,000 Chimpanzees: Each year, roughly 3,000 gorillas, 4,000 chimpanzees, and hundreds of bonobos are killed for bushmeat in Africa — a devastating practice enabled and encouraged by the logging industry. Orphaned young usually die as well. 2 Million Wild Animals: The federal Wildlife Services agency, a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, kills 2 million wild animals per year (2.4 million in 2007), including endangered species, at the request of cattle ranchers, hunters, and municipalities and uses such tactics as poisoning, shooting, and even beheading and burning alive. The poisoning method in particular results in the indiscriminate killing of many "non-target" individuals and species. 300,000 Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises:
The global fishing industry's many problems include the devastating issue of bycatch: yearly, billions of ocean animals are caught unintentionally and thrown back, dead or dying, including 100 million sharks and rays; approximately 300,000 whales, dolphins, and porpoises; 250,000 endangered turtles; and hundreds of thousands of birds. Shrimp fisheries are perhaps the worst offenders, with commonly more than 80 percent bycatch. Numerous species are facing extinction because of fishing and bycatch. Kavita vows to take-up this issue on a larger scale to bring about wide spread awareness on animal abuse.
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