For Immediate Release:
02 December 2024
Contact:
Meet Ashar; AsharM@petaindia.org
Hiraj Laljani; HirajL@petaindia.org
Chandigarh – Upon receiving reports of greyhound races scheduled to take place in Moga, Punjab, on 24 November; Yamuna Nagar, Haryana, on 25 November; and Chung village, Tarn Taran, Punjab, on 27 November and Samrala village, Ludhiana, Punjab, on 30 November — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India took immediate action to ensure these unlawful events were called off. PETA India promptly alerted senior police officials in all four districts about promotional advertisements for the events, including details about the organisers. As a result of police intervention, the scheduled races were called off, preventing cruelty to numerous greyhound dogs. However, one race scheduled in Burj village, Malerkotla, on 26 November took place despite efforts to prevent it. PETA India has filed a formal complaint and is working closely with the police to ensure an FIR is registered against the organisers.
Greyhound racing involves forcing dogs to race at such dangerously high speeds that it puts a tremendous strain on their bodies, often causing them to suffer injuries or death. When not used, they are typically confined to kennels and forced to stand in their own filth. Dogs who lose may face harsh treatment, such as abandonment or being killed. Injuries, exhaustion, and psychological trauma are common in spectacles in which animals are forced to race, which prioritises gambling over the welfare of the animals.
“Greyhounds are often raced to injury or death. Forcing dogs to race is inherently cruel,” says PETA India Cruelty Response Legal Advisor and Associate Director Meet Ashar. “We applaud the efforts of the Moga Police, particularly Shri Ajay Gandhi, IPS, Senior Superintendent of Police; Shri Dalbir Singh Sidhu, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Baghapurana; and Yamuna Nagar Police, particularly Shri Kamaljeet Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police Headquarters, Tarn Taran Police, particularly Shri Preetinder Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police Bhikhiwind and Khanna Police, particularly Smt. Ashwini Gotyal, IPS, for their decisive action to uphold the law and protect these dogs from abuse. We also urge the Malerkotla police to register an FIR for the illegal race that took place in Village Burj on 26 November to ensure accountability and prevent further violations of animal protection laws.”
In its complaint, PETA India stated that under the Performing Animals (Registration) Rules, 2001, animals cannot be legally used for training, exhibition, or performances without prior approval from the Animal Welfare Board of India. Additionally, such races violate the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,1960, and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which prohibits inflicting unnecessary suffering on animals.
PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
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The post Victory: Four Illegal Greyhound Dog Races Stopped in Punjab and Haryana After PETA India Complaint, Legal Action Underway for One Race That Occurred appeared first on PETA India.