FOLLOWING PETA INDIA PRESSURE, ORDER ISSUED TO STOP ILLEGAL ANIMAL RACES

Ludhiana Police Officials Act to Prevent Abusive, Illegal Spectacle From Going Ahead in Event Which Now Stands Wholly Cancelled Ludhiana, April 12, 2019: Following complaints from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India that illegal animal races (dog, horse & mule cart) were scheduled to take place on 12th & 13th April 2019 at the annual sports event at that Kila Raipur stadium, near Ludhiana in Punjab, the Ludhiana Police Commissioner issued a report to the Deputy Commissioner recommending to stop these animal races. The police also arranged for a meeting of Kila Raipur mini Olympics organisers and a PETA India representative to explain the former why such animal races are cruel and illegal. And now, the Kila Raipur Games has been reportedly wholly cancelled after deputy commissioner Pradeep Agarwal refused to grant the event permission due to a dispute between old and new organising committees. In the complaint letter, PETA India pointed that, no animals can be legally used for training, exhibition, or performances without being registered with the AWBI under the Performing Animals (Registration) Rules, 2001, and the Performing Animals (Registration) Amendment Rules, 2001. Such events also apparently violate The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and can violate the Transport of Animals (Amendment) Rules, 2001. "Forcing animals to race beyond the point of exhaustion and through whippings, beatings, and other violence is cruel," says PETA India Chief Advocacy Officer Prakash Sasha. "Animals used for work – such as bullocks, horses, and mules – already have a hard life without the additional torment of being forced to race, and dogs used for racing are commonly chained or caged when not in use." PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way” – notes that dogs used for racing are often kept confined to small kennels and may be abandoned or killed when they're deemed too slow. During practice sessions, they may be kept hungry and made to chase live animals such as rabbits who are used as live bait in order to coerce the dogs to run faster. Many horses and mules used for racing suffer from abnormalities of the foot as a result of poor foot care and farriery practices, and events such as races only aggravate these and other foot and leg conditions Horses used for races are commonly forced to stand amidst their own waste in filthy, decrepit stables and are denied adequate water and necessary veterinary treatment. They're often injured, sick, or severely malnourished. Bulls made to race are commonly hit and whipped and dragged by painful nose ropes.