Meat Export Policy

Vol XXXVII No 2 Summer 2014 Journal of Beauty Without Cruelty - India An International Educational Charitable Trust for Animal Rights Smuggling Live Cattle Superstitions Animal Sacrifice Special Offer for Readers Meat Export Policy Beauty Without Cruelty - India 4 Prince of Wales Drive, Wanowrie, Pune 411 040 Tel: +91 20 2686 1166 Fax: +91 20 2686 1420 From E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.bwcindia.org my Desk… he editor of Contents Compassionate Friend, Ashoke Dasgupta, From my Desk… ___________________________ this page has resigned. BWC is grateful Superstitions about Animals _______________________2 to him for having edited our Plunder of India’s Dignity ___________________________4 magazine for five years. Back to Square One __________________________6 So now, I am back as editor – Fact, not Fancy Gelatine ___________________________9 hopefully interim editor! Ekvira Devi jatra __________________________________ 10 This issue covers how many, Vegan Recipe Lotus seed ________________________ 12 where and why, India’s cattle are killed: smuggled into Bangladesh to be killed for meat and leather, and killed Beauty Without Cruelty within India for meat export. is grateful to Animal sacrifice at the Ekvira Shernaz Venkatesh Dhond Devi jatra is also included. for sponsoring this issue of Depressing, so here’s some good news. Heritage Status for Camels ` by donating 1,00,000/- BWC was pleased to receive a letter from the Rajasthan Beauty Without Cruelty Published and edited by Government saying they Diana Ratnagar were considering according is a way of life which causes Chairperson, BWC - India state heritage status to the no creature of land, sea or air Designed by Dinesh Dabholkar camel. In response to our terror, torture or death Printed at Mudra long standing appeal, the 383 Narayan Peth, Pune 411 030 government planned to pass legislation to effectively check smuggling and slaughter of © is printed on paper camels out of the state. free of animal substances is the copyright of Circuses without Animals and published every Beauty Without Cruelty - India. spring (February), Unauthorised reproduction International circuses without summer (May), in any manner, animals are increasingly monsoon (August) without written permission popular. It was therefore not and winter (November) from the publisher, is prohibited. at all surprising when after 26 years the Great Oriental Cover: Indian buffalo. Photo: © Picstudio | Dreamstime.com Circus made a come back Beauty Without Cruelty without a single animal or bird in the show! Instead, forty Animals in Processions artistes from Nepal, Africa and India enthralled the public In response to frequent with their acts. requests made to the Pune The management of the Great Oriental Circus and Rambo Police by the Sarva Jeev Circus is the same. Although Rambo continues to have Mangal Pratishthan and animals, two years back they were the first to hold a show Beauty Without Cruelty, without animals at the Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai. they began issuing orders banning the use of animals BWC hopes all circuses in India will voluntarily stop (camels, elephants, horses, exhibiting animals. But if they don’t soon enough, it is high ponies and cattle) in time the government imposes a ban on all animals, birds processions and rallies. The and fish exhibits and performances. first such order was passed No Penguins for Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti celebrated on 19 March 2014. The Central Zoo Authority replied BWC that the Greater Cochin Development Authority, Kochi, had not applied for, Repulsive Ad on TV nor had permission been granted to establish a penguin In March 2014 LIC India’s park in place of the dolphinarium that they were not TV-advertisement depicted allowed to start. In May last year on grounds of cruelty and a family rejoicing when the commercialisation of wildlife the Ministry of Environment & father reeled in not one, but Forests had rejected all proposals to set up dolphinariums two, fish.BWC wrote to the any where in India, and this had included Kochi. company to withdraw the ad since it encouraged fishing Emus are Out which was contrary to our Thank goodness the get-rich-quick emu farms are Indian culture of ahimsa or continuing to lose favour. The government has empowered no-killing. Much to our relief, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to crack the ad is not longer aired or down on such Ponzi schemes that promise unreasonable found on the internet. high returns. Over the past two-three years 80% farms BWC’s New Short Film have closed and thousands of emus have been abandoned Say NO to Animal Jails is in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, a five minute film directed Orissa, Delhi and Punjab. The farmers are back to growing for BWC by our life member, crops. Nikita Mor. It has been Animal Rights Activism uploaded on our website www.bwcindia.org. Do have BWC thanks life members like Mr K Sridharan for a look to see whether the promoting animal rights and a vegan lifestyle. He recently mother is able to convince wrote to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam to stop her adamant son to visit the the use of silk in their daily Kalyanotsavam function because zoo or not. thousands of silk moths are killed. He argued how then Diana Ratnagar could it be termed mangalakaram or auspicious? He also Chairperson requested the temple authorities to reconsider selling laddus in bulk so that the consumption of ghee was lessened. Summer 2014 1 Beauty Without Cruelty Superstitions Many animal and bird body-parts are considered lucky, but it is a fallacy that such ‘lucky charms’ about Animals are indeed lucky says Khurshid Bhathena undreds of sayings because that’s not allowed. For example, star tortoises and that place animals turtles are gifted or bought because they are considered in an unfavourable lucky. Few realise how unlucky and extremely cruel it is light are responsible for for the creatures to be kept in small tubs cooped up in subconsciously giving rise to apartments, walking on tiles, instead of earth. superstitions. Animal fights, Each and every body-part of wild animals, birds and reptiles, hunting and sacrifices were ranging from big cats to owls, to boas, are in demand for regular features in ancient some ritual or another. They are converted into talismans India. Worship of divinities in or good luck charms upon being sacrificed. animal forms and as vehicles of gods continues to this day, Religious Beliefs but has not eliminated the Some buyers in Kerala believe that having a tiger skin, claws practice of sacrificing animals. or teeth in their prayer room brings them prosperity. Animal sacrifice is the most A white owl is considered a companion and vahana/ unfortunate of superstitions. vehicle of Goddess Lakshmi – the goddess of wealth – and Buffalos, goats, chickens and therefore a harbinger of prosperity. Sellers successfully their young are the common convince the gullible that owls are lucky and by worshiping animals killed in the name of them, they will get wealthy. religion to appease certain Owls are sold mainly during religious melas because that’s deities. where customers are easily found. Owls used for black It is also unfortunate that magic are killed. Every conceivable body-part of the owl humans believe certain is precious for believers. It is felt that a taviz/talisman animals are lucky, and others consisting of owls’ eyes or an organ, has magical or unlucky. Towards this end medicinal powers for the wearer, keeper or user. many species (wild and domesticated) are exploited in unimaginable ways. Particular wild animals’ body parts are coveted for black magic and that’s when poaching fuels superstition under the guise of religion. It is less conspicuous to keep some wild animals’ body- parts for good luck than to house a live wild animal Owls such as the one above are captured from the wild and sacrificed for so-called cures. Photo courtesy: Neeraj Mishra. 2 Summer 2014 Beauty Without Cruelty Unlucky Fish Not only do creatures of land and air suffer but so do those who live in water. Feng Shui recommends keeping brightly coloured Arowana gold fish in multiples of nine for ‘prosperity and growth’. Makes one wonder how people can experience good luck and get wealth at the cost of torturing innocent lives. They are small, but feel as much pain and can suffer just like us. Similarly expensive fishquariums (a tiny fish tank with adjoining compartment to keep stationery like pens, pencils, scissors and mobile phone) are promoted. Said to have calming benefits on humans, but that’s untrue A cruel contraption. Photo courtesy: ThinkGeek. because the fish within are cruelly subjected to living in an over a house is said to be a extremely cramped space, LED lighting, battery operated harbinger of death. In some clock cum calendar working 24/7 and other disturbances cultures a black cat is lucky, that frighten them enough to impart negativity into the but considered a bad omen room. in other parts of the world. Superstitions Galore Similarly, a peacock feather The rabbit’s foot, shark’s teeth, killed butterflies, elephant may be thought of as an evil tail hair, big cat’s skin, teeth and nails, bear’s paws, claws eye. A rhyme about spotting and hair, bird’s head, beak, feathers and claws, emu toe crows goes: One’s bad, two’s nails and eggs, pangolin’s scales, moulted snake skin/ luck, three’s health, four’s kentchuly and goat skulls, are some of the many animal and wealth, five’s sickness, six is bird body-parts considered lucky by humans. But, it is a death. fallacy that such “lucky charms” are indeed lucky. However, certain Indian Some animals, birds and reptiles are said to be symbols notions concerning animals of good tidings and fortune.

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