For Immediate Release:
30 December 2024
Contact:
Meet Ashar; AsharM@petaindia.org
Hiraj Laljani; HirajL@petaindia.org
Madhubani—Acting on a video showing two Indian porcupines (Hystrix indica), a species protected under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act (WPA), 1972, unlawfully confined in a tiny cage, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India worked with the Mithila Forest Division of the Bihar Forest Department to register a wildlife offense report (WLOR).
The porcupines were reportedly confined at a shop in Ward No. 5, Jainagar, Madhubani – 847 226. The WLOR was registered on 19 December under sections 9, 39 and 49(B) of the WPA, 1972, against the illegal custodian, Mr Vikas Kumar. Both porcupines were safely rescued and examined by the Veterinary Officer of the Tirhut Forest Division, Muzaffarpur. Following a medical assessment, the animals were released back into their natural habitat. Any offence against species protected under Schedule I of the WPA is punishable with a jail term of at least three years, which may extend to seven years, and a fine of at least ₹25,000.
“We commend Shri Arvind Kumar Dubey, Range Forest Officer, Madhubani, for promptly rescuing the porcupines and registering the WLOR, sending a clear message that cruelty to animals will not be tolerated,” says Virendra Singh, Cruelty Response Coordinator at PETA India. “This incident is exactly why laws exist to keep wild animals where they belong – in nature.”
Indian porcupines are hunted for meat and their quills are used for traditional medicines in ornaments and as good luck charms.
PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any 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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