I was thinking about what to write about this week when inspiration came in the form of an email from a buddy. She had mailed me a picture of a man struggling to hold a huge 34 pound all white pet cat in his arms. The caption said "Is this true?" I wondered was it true? Could a pet cat indeed be so large or was it a doctored picture? Then my thoughts turned to pets in general and I realized that this buddy of mine was the only one among all my Indian friends and numerous Indian acquaintances who had any sort of an interest in pet animals. Some of my friends have had dogs at home but these animals were mostly fed and taken care of by "maid servants". The dog was more a status symbol than a loved member of the family. I know of at least one family that could not afford to have someone else give their pet dog a bath once in a while. Instead, they would spray cheap perfume all over the dog. With the acute sense of smell that dogs have, the perfume must have given the poor animal more than its share of doggy headaches. Other people just fed their so called pet dog once in a while and ignored its presence. This apathy toward not just pet animals in India, but animals in general is surprising.

The Hindu religion has traditionally stressed harmony between nature, symbolized by plants and animals, and human beings. Even some of the Hindu Gods are animal avatars, like Hanuman the monkey God, the most commonly known. Lord Ganesh has an elephant head. In south India, Narasimha (half lion) is a well-known representation of Lord Venkateshwara. Many Hindu Gods have animals, ranging from the rat to birds like the peacock, as a form of transport. The ancient Vedas talk about preservation of the environment by safeguarding trees and not killing animals. These days, it is difficult to find many examples of this enlightened treatment of animals.

In USA, native Americans ask the numerous vegetarian Indians why they don't eat meat. Many Indians answer with great pride that their religion prohibits them from eating meat or that it is cruel to eat animals because the animal suffers a miserable death. The truth is that these statements have to be taken with a pinch of salt. The same vegetarian person usually has no problem wearing silk sarees, dresses or shirts. Silk comes from boiling the silk worms that are cocooned inside their temporary home of silk strands. Boiling the worms in hot water kills the worms and makes the silk strands available for processing. There are some other people who refuse to eat beef but wear leather jackets or take designer leather purses to temples. There is some validity to the recent statements made by the Indian Minister for Social Justice, Menaka Gandhi, and a group of US based animal rights (PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) activists who are protesting how badly cows and buffaloes are treated before they are killed for leather in India.

India is one of the world's largest producers of leather. I strongly urge you to visit the CowsAreCool website (http://www.cowsarecool.com/) to see the report they have about how cows are slaughtered for leather. The pictures accompanying the article brought tears of rage and frustration to my eyes. Cows with salt and pepper rubbed in their eyes to make them walk faster on long treks to states where cow slaughter is allowed (some states ban the slaughter of cows), cows with tails broken as punishment for resisting attempts to shove them onto trucks, cows piled one on top of the other in the small trucks without food and water, etc. I have to warn you that the pictures are terrible. Seeing these pictures will give you an idea of where we Indians stand on treating other living creatures. There are many people in India who get their daily quota of milk from the local "doodhwala". Have they ever noticed how some men beat up the poor buffalo or cow because if it doesn't produce milk? Or how the cows and buffaloes are made to constantly conceive and then forced to abort the baby so that they continuously produce milk? How the oxen carts are pulled by gaunt weak animals with open festering wounds?

Cows and buffaloes are not the only mistreated animals. Traveling circuses, beach rides, and one man entertainment shows force tigers, elephants, bears, camels and monkeys to suffer mistreatment in the name of "training" and "amusement". Often they are kept starving. A recent initiative by Menaka Gandhi has stopped the use of wild animals in shows like these. Millions of frogs are killed for the export of frog legs (a delicacy in some parts of the world) and use in laboratory research. Monkeys endure the most horrible experiments like being electrocuted or having their brains cut up. Many cosmetics like lipstick, eye shadow, face powder are first tested on animals, like horses, for allergic reactions. Shellac, a product from lac insects, is found in several commonly used beauty products, paint, varnish and glazes for food. Many snakes are killed for snakeskin to make purses and shoes. Tigers, lions, rhinos and elephants are poached in wild life reserves. The ill-equipped forest guards are no match for well organized gangs of poachers. These animals' body parts are sold to many East Asian countries to create aphrodisicas. Even though the sale of ivory is banned in India, hundreds of elephants have been found killed with their tusks sawn off. Animals like the leopard are killed for fur. Sheep in Kashmir are killed for delicate sahtoosh shawls. And movie actors like Salman Khan, Neelam shoot the almost extinct black buck in Rajasthan for "sport". The list is endless. Animal conservation laws are broken every day even by people who are neither poor nor lacking in education.

Animals that are usually eaten as food, like chicken, pigs, and lamb lead miserable lives and die equally miserable deaths. Chickens are forced to live in small dirty cages in dark, dank chicken farms. I can never forget an occasion in Hyderabad when I saw a bunch of men chasing a pig down the street. They caught it and tied it up upside down to a stick and carried it as it squealed terribly down the alleyway. I'm sure the pig knew the terrible fate that was about to befall it. I once saw a man on the back seat of a scooter, carrying a heavily bleeding rabbit, that he had just shot, by its hind legs. It was also headed for the pot. Near my home in India, there is a small temple for a local village God. Goats are routinely beheaded in the name of animal sacrifice. Even in the 21st century, why is there such cruelty towards creatures that have eyes, noses, hearts and even feelings like we humans do?

I'm sure there are people who tell you that it is not practical to talk about animal rights when even people starve. When many poor people are mistreated, denied respect, and made to suffer daily throughout the length and breadth of the country. But, I feel the mistreatment of both animals and humans in India are a related phenomenon. It is a symbol of a society towards a path where people take care of their own life and do not stop to think about others. Whenever I read the articles about the "large Indian middle class", I wonder what the "middle class" stands for. In most western countries, it was members of the middle class that ensured that they reached the current developed state they are in with respect to rights for humans and yes, animals too. Most of the Indians I know come from the middle class. Yet, almost none of them even reach out to pat the head of a little kitten. Why is there such a major disconnect between us humans and other living creatures?

There are however rays of hope piercing the gloomy picture of animal rights in India. A unique institution is the charity Bird Hospital in Delhi. Thousands of birds are treated every year for all manner of illnesses. Abandoned birds and old birds are taken care of till they die a peaceful death. All the money to run this hospital comes from charities. Communities like the Bishnoi in Rajasthan protect the black buck even though people from this community are poor and need help themselves. In Madras, a gentle kind soul called Captain Sundaram started the Blue Cross for animals. Many cats, dogs, horses, cows, and other animals of every shape and size have been rescued from terrible mistreatment because of this unique organization. It has chapters in other Indian cities too. Other institutions like the Indian division of PETA and Beauty Without Cruelty are working hard to fix difficult situations in the lives of animals. The Indian government runs free veterinary hospitals in many towns and villages. They are meant to help farm animals but my dad has taken many of our pet cats to the local animal hospital for treatment. In Philadelphia, all the five veterinarians in the local SPCA (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) hospital are Indians. I find that a welcome surprise. I am positive there are millions of Indians who love animals and care for them.

But, as a society we are apathetic to the fate of these creatures. So, what can you do about it? Speak up and be heard! And maybe even do something to help.

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