Mumbai – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has filed a Right to Information request with the Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries, Maharashtra, asking about action taken in response to the report sent on the abuse of milch animals in city tabelas.

In March of this year, PETA wrote to Mr Anees Ahmad, the Honourable Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries, and sent him a copy of the "Mumbai Dairy Report", urging him to take action to save milch animals who are being abused in the dairy industry in Mumbai.

The conditions for cows and buffaloes in the city tabelas are disgraceful. Recently, PETA conducted an undercover investigation into the abuse of animals raised for milk in the tabelas across the country, including in Mumbai. PETA investigators found egregious abuse on these farms, including starvation and mutilation. Most cows raised for the dairy industry are confined to filthy, crowded sheds and denied everything that is natural and important to them. They are often chained by the neck in narrow stalls and given hormones that cause them to produce more milk. The use of one such drug, Oxytocin – which causes the animals severe stomach cramps and quickly wears out their bodies – is rampant even though its use in the dairy industry is illegal.

Male calves, who are of no commercial value to the dairy industry, are tied up with ropes so short that they cannot even lift their heads. They often strangle themselves in a frantic effort to reach their mothers. Many are killed for their skin, others are simply abandoned in the street. Female calves replace their mothers on dairy farms, and the vicious cycle of pain and suffering is repeated.

"Dairy-industry sales pitches are a whitewash, because milk and other dairy products are linked to serious health problems for humans and a sad life for today's factory-farmed cows and their calves", says PETA's Vegan Campaign Coordinator Nikunj Sharma. "We urge the Government to do these animals and themselves a big favour and leave cow's milk to be consumed by those for whom it was intended – baby cows."

A copy of the report and letter is available upon request.

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PETA India, based in Mumbai, was launched in January 2000. PETA India operates under the simple principle that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on or use for entertainment, while educating policymakers and the public about animal abuse and promoting an understanding of the right of all animals to be treated with respect.

PETA India focuses primarily on the areas in which the greatest numbers of animals suffer the most: in the food and leather industries, laboratories and the entertainment industry. PETA India’s investigative work, public education efforts, research, animal rescues, legislative work, special events, celebrity involvement and national media coverage have resulted in countless improvements to the quality of life for animals and have saved countless animals’ lives.