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Denis Giles

10 January 2017

Created: 10 January 2017

Last Updated: 10 January 2017

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By Maneka Sanjay Gandhi

We have been killing animals since we stood upright and decided that we were above nature. Prehistoric people made sharpened projectiles out of wood or bone. The Apaches made clubs from the jawbone of a horse elk, buffalo or bear. The teeth were left in the jaw, and sometimes even polished for aesthetic appeal. Samson (of Delilah fame) is said to have killed one thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey.

Pieces of bones, whether from turtle shells or the shoulder blades of oxen or water buffalo, were used to divine the future in ancient China, Japan, Korea, Europe, Africa and North America. The practice exists even today, among Greek and Serbian farmers. Shoulder blades were also made into shovels. 30,000 years old flutes, made of wing bones of swans and vultures, have been found.

The truth is that bones are the hidden ingredients in a lot of things you eat or use. In Paris, in the 13th century, button makers made buttons from the shinbones of cattle. These, and knife handles, are still made in France and Germany.

Bones contain about 12% fat. The feet of sheep, horses and cattle are boiled and the oil from the bones used in the manufacture of delicate grades of leather. The oil from cows’ feet only is used as a lubricant for delicate machinery, such as clocks, guns, etc. as it has a low solidifying temperature ("cold test" 25°-28°F.) It is called, professionally, as neat’s oil.

The boiling of bones results in a very offensive smell, so bones are broken and steamed as well to take out the fat. Another extraction method is by melting the bones with petroleum ether (benzine). The grease recovered from the extract is used by the candle-maker, who bleaches the dark grease and dyes and perfumes it.

Benzine extracted bones are also passed on to the glue makers. They are boiled again and finally concentrated into a glue liquor which is clarified through alum, and bleached with sulphurous acid gas, before drying and setting into jellies. The jelly is cut into cakes and dried to give glue. This is used in joinery and furniture-making, in the paper and book-binding trades; the textile industries which absorb considerable quantities of glue for dressing and finishing yarns, sizing woollen threads, stiffening carpets, etc. Other applications of glue includes preserving ropes etc.

Gelatin is prepared from bones pre-treated with hydrochloric acid and then treated with hot water and steam. Gelatin is used for photographic emulsions, as a culture medium in bacteriology, in food and most sweets (the word jelly and jello comes from gelatin), as a stabilizer for ice cream, yoghurt and pies, and other frozen desserts, and for the clarifying of wines and beers ; it is also employed as a dressing for white fabrics, silks, silk printing and straw hats. The most annoying use is in medicine capsules which I refuse to eat. I have been trying to get them made vegetarian for over twenty years. Approximately 6.5% of the total production of gelatin is used in the pharmaceutical industry. Most of it is used to make the outer covering of capsules. Gelatin is used in the manufacture of medicated tablets and pastilles, in protective ointment, such as zinc gelatin for the treatment of ulcerated varicose veins. Gelatin can be made into a sterile sponge by whipping it into foam, treating it with formaldehyde and drying it. Such sponges are used in surgery, and also to implant a drug or antibiotic directly into a specific area. It is used as a plasma expander for blood in cases of very severe shock and injury.

Bones are ground and used as fertilizer (called bone meal) and this is also put into poultry feed ( which is very dangerous as it is responsible for the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy or mad cow disease) and dog food.

Animal charcoal (or boneblack) is obtained from roasting bones out of contact with air. What emerges is a gas which is used as fuel for factory boilers, coal tar, and ammonia liquors. The tar is used in the manufacture of black varnishes such as Brunswick black. The ammonia liquors are steam-distilled and used for low grade fertilizer.

The charcoal from the burnt bone, a porous, black, granular material, is protected from exposure to air until cold. It is then crushed and graded. Bone charcoal is employed as a decolourizing (to turn naturally brown sugar into white) and refining medium in the sugar industry, which consumes enormous quantities. Bone char is used to filter and remove fluoride and metal ions from water to make it drink worthy. Bone char is used as a black pigment for artist’s paint, printmaking, calligraphic and drawing inks. Bone black and ivory black are artists' pigments. It is also used to refine crude oil in the production of petroleum jelly. In the 18th and 19th century, bone char, mixed with tallow or wax, was used by soldiers in the field to impregnate military leather equipment, to increase its lifespan and turn it black.

Bone Ash, which comes from burning fresh bones, is an important constituent of porcelain and bone china. When treated with sulphuric and phosphoric acids, bone ash yields a substitute for cream of tartar in baking powders.

China, which turns anything into their quack medicine, grinds bones and uses them as treatment for a variety of ailments, such as dizziness, leg cramps, dysentery, internal swellings, and malaria. And now we have invented plastic which can be used to replace parts in your body. Clemson University has brought out a plastic made of meat and bone meal. The raw material is mixed with ultra-high-molecular weight polyethylene, a tough material used in replacement joints. How much of you will remain you and how much of it dead other animal/plastic is something we will assess in a few years.

Imagine constructing a life in which so many things you use are based on killing other beings. No wonder the core of each human is so unhappy.

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Denis Giles

19 December 2016

Created: 19 December 2016

Last Updated: 19 December 2016

Hits: 1638

By Maneka Sanjay Gandhi

In India, we are still in awe of scientists, doctors and researchers. In a way I am glad, because Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a grouping of the top and most respected physicians and researchers in the world and they bring out a monthly listing of the research that is being published all over the world on diet and disease. Many of these studies are a “study of studies” which means that they take hundreds of studies and make a composite study of them.  They have a website called PCRM and I suggest you look at it.

I have simply reproduced their findings: This one is on research in 2014 and the next article is on research in 2015 and 2016.

Dairy products increase the risk for ovarian cancer among African-American women, according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer. Researchers followed 1,146 women with and without cancer from the African American Cancer Epidemiology Study and monitored consumption of dairy products, lactose, calcium, and vitamin D and cancer incidence rates. Those with the highest intake of whole milk and lactose increased their risk for ovarian cancer, compared with those who consumed the least, while those who consumed the most calcium decreased their risk for cancer by 49 percent.

(Qin B, Moorman PG, Alberg AJ, et al. Dairy, calcium, vitamin D and ovarian cancer risk in African–American women. Br J Cancer. Published online September 15, 2016.)

Fats, specific to animal products, increase the risk for type 2 diabetes, according to research presented at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). Researchers followed the consumption of various types of omega-3 and omega-6 fats in the diets of 71,334 women and tracked diabetes incidence rates. Those who consumed the most fats increased their risk for diabetes by 26 percent, when compared to those who consumed the least. Specifically, omega-3 docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and omega-6 arachidonic acid (AA), both of which are mostly found in meat, fish, and eggs, almost doubled the risk for type 2 diabetes, and, when controlling for weight, by as much as 41 and 49 percent, respectively.

(Dow C, Mangin M, Balkau B, et al. Fatty acid consumption and incident type 2 diabetes: evidence from the E3N cohort study. Poster presented at: the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 52nd Annual meeting; September 14, 2016: Munich, Germany.)

Red and processed meats increase risk for heart disease, cancer, and other chronic illnesses, according to a review published in the Journal of Internal Medicine. Researchers examined the correlation between disease risk and meat consumption in six cohort studies. Consumption of 100 grams of red meat per day increased the risk for stroke and for breast cancer, death from heart disease, colorectal cancer, and advanced prostate cancer, by 11, 15, 17, and 19 percent, respectively. At 50 grams per day, processed meats increased the risk for several chronic diseases including colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, death from heart disease, and diabetes by 18, 19, 24, and 32, respectively. Possible mechanisms include high levels of heme iron, cholesterol, saturated fatty acids, nitrates and nitrites, and sodium found in red and processed meat products.

(Wolk A. Potential health hazards of eating red meat. J Intern Med. Published online September 6, 2016.)

High fruit and vegetable intake will not counterbalance the increased risk for heart disease caused by eating meat, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers followed 74,645 participants from the Swedish Mammography Cohort and the Cohort of Swedish Men studies and monitored diet and mortality due to heart disease. Those who consumed the highest amounts of red meat increased their risk of dying from heart disease by 29 percent, when compared to those who consumed the least. The risks remained consistent when coupled with various fruit and vegetable intakes. High fruit and vegetable intake could not prevent meat-related deaths.

(Bellavia A, Stilling F, Wolk A. High red meat intake and all-cause cardiovascular and cancer mortality: is the risk modified by fruit and vegetable intake? Am J Clin Nutr. Published online August 24, 2016)

Red meat intake during childhood leads to earlier onset of puberty in adolescent girls, according to a study published online in the Journal of Nutrition. Researchers monitored red meat intake and the age of menarche of 456 participants from the Bogota School Children Cohort. Those who consumed two or more servings of red meat per day began menstruation several months earlier than those who consumed less red meat. High levels of iron and zinc, heterocyclic amines, and hormones found in red meat may alert the body to begin puberty earlier. Researchers stress that earlier menarche negatively affects disease risk for breast cancer, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic conditions later in life.

(Jansen EC, Marín C, Mora-Plazas M, Villamor E. Higher childhood red meat intake frequency is associated with earlier age at menarche. J Nutr. Published online March 9, 2016.)

Removing dairy products from your diet may lower your risk of certain cancers, according to a study published online in the British Journal of Cancer. Researchers followed 22,788 lactose intolerant participants from Sweden. They also monitored cancer rates of their immediate family members. The incidence rates for lung, breast, and ovarian cancers decreased among the lactose intolerant. Family members, and the general Swedish population who included dairy in their diet, did not experience the same reduction in cancer risk. Researchers suspect the avoidance of high amounts of saturated fat and hormones found in dairy products may account for the decreased risk.

(Ji J, Sundquist J, Sundquist K. Lactose intolerance and risk of lung, breast and ovarian cancers: aetiological clues from a population-based study in Sweden. Br J Cancer. Published online October 14, 2014.)

People with diabetes, looking for a more powerful treatment, should consider a plant-based diet, according to a team of American and Japanese researchers. Combining the results of six prior studies, the researchers found that a plant-based diet significantly improves blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes. Earlier studies had shown that plant-based diets could improve a key indicator of blood sugar control, called haemoglobin A1c, as much as 1.2 points, which is far greater than the effect of typical oral diabetes medicines. The new study is a meta-analysis, widely considered the highest level of scientific evidence. Focusing on longer-term effects and combining the results of all available studies, the benefit of leaving out meat, cheese, and eggs was as much as 0.7 points in some studies, and averaged about 0.4 points overall. Most of the studies did not require participants to reduce their calorie or carbohydrate intake. The American Diabetes Association’s Clinical Practice Recommendations have cited the value of vegan diets for type 2 diabetes for several years. The new study is published in Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy.

(Yokoyama Y, Barnard ND, Levin SM, Watanabe M. Vegetarian diets and glycemic control in diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Cardiovasc Diagn Ther. 2014;4:373-382.)

Red or processed meat products increase your risk of bladder cancer, according to a meta-analysis in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine. Researchers examined 25 articles published between 1980 and 2014 which included 15,58,848 participants worldwide. High consumption of red and processed meat by participants in America lead to a 25 and 33 percent increased risk of bladder cancer, respectively, compared with low consumption. The results also showed an increased risk of breast cancer with high intakes of these products.

(Li F, An S, Hou L, Chen P, Lei C, Tan W. Red and processed meat intake and risk of bladder cancer: a meta-analysis. Int J Clin Exp Med. 2014;7:2100-2110.)

Iron found in meat may increase your risk of heart disease, according to a new meta-analysis published in the Journal of Nutrition. Researchers analysed data from 21 international studies, which included 2,92,454 participants, for an average of ten years. Results showed heme iron (found in meat) increased risk of heart disease by 57 percent. Conversely, non-heme iron found in vegetables showed no relationship to risk or mortality from heart disease.

(Hunnicutt J, He K, Xun P. Dietary iron intake and body iron stores are associated with risk of coronary heart disease in a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. J Nutr. Published online January 8, 2014.)

Copper in foods increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study published by the American Neurological Association. Researchers analysed several potential risk factors, including age, copper levels, blood pressure, and lipid levels, of 141 participants who had mild cognitive impairment at the start of the study. The only factor that showed a significant increased risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease was copper intake. Those with the highest levels of copper were three times as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease within 4 years of follow-up, compared with those who had the lowest levels of copper. Copper is found at especially high levels in liver and shellfish. The authors note that while the metals, copper, iron, and zinc, are essential for life, in excess they can be dangerous for Alzheimer’s risk.

(Squitti R, Ghidoni R, Siotto M, et al. Value of serum nonceruloplasmin copper for prediction of mild cognitive impairment conversion to Alzheimer disease. Ann Neurol. 2014. In press.)

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Denis Giles

02 January 2017

Created: 02 January 2017

Last Updated: 02 January 2017

Hits: 1642

By Maneka Sanjay Gandhi

Last week I went to one of the best exhibitions of this year "Living Lightly". The organisers showed the music, food, jewellery, clothes, art and living of 15 pastoral communities in India: the sheep nomads from Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh, the camel herders of Gujarat and Rajasthan among them. In that one hour I learnt a great deal about the communities of people and animals that inhabit India. Did you know that there are black sheep in India and nine breeds of camel? The Banni buffalo, the Kankrej cow, the Kacchi goat and the Sindhi horse are simply unique. The government has done absolutely nothing to conserve these animals – in fact, each one of them is simply seen as meat. It is generations of these pastoral communities that have kept our heritage animals alive.

Let me tell you about the Kharai camel. It is almost extinct, as are most camels in India - because the camel communities are now stopping their gypsy way of life and settling down to other professions. They sell these camels to a gang of butchers from the Uttar Pradesh district of Baghpat – each one of whom has over 90 cases on him and is a multimillionaire from killing. This gang comes from one village. They pose as agriculturists and go to camel haats like Pushkar where they flash fake cards, pay the local SDM or the Haat magistrate and take away the camels. These are loaded into trucks, 16 at a time, and then taken to Bangladesh via Kishenganj in Bihar and Malda in West Bengal. I have rescued over 2000 so far, but that is out of 50,000 that are going every year.

Anyway, let me come back to the Kharai camels. They are reared by the Fakirani Jat and Rabari communities. While the Rabaris are still in Kachch, the Fakirani Jats are now on the move and have come to Ahmedabad, Bharuch, Bhavanagar in search of the ever receding mangroves.

Camels are supposed to be the animals of the desert, their broad flat padded feet at home on the hot sand, their ability to do without water, legendary. But this unique breed from the arid lands of Kachchh is equally at home in the desert or ocean.

Native to the coastal areas of South Gujarat, close to the mangrove belts, these camels eat saline mangrove plants and swim long distances in the ocean. In the monsoon they travel more than 3 kilometers through the waters to reach the small mangrove islands (called bets) in the creeks along the coast . They stay here for 2-3 months, drinking fresh water from the depressions in the land made by the rain. In summer and winter they swim out to nearer bets to graze, and return every few days to drink fresh water from ponds, wells or cattle troughs. An adult needs about 20-40 litres a day.

The hair is smooth, long and soft, which the herders make into rugs and shawls (I saw some at the exhibition - really beautiful). It has a very short chest pad, thin legs, a thin neck, an elegant rounded backside and a short tail. It is either brown white in colour or black.

While the Kharai is less affected by skin disease than the entirely terrestrial breeds, these camels often suffer from arthritis, gastrointestinal problems and trypanosomiasis caused by small protozoan parasites. Government provides no veterinary help, or any kind of preventive care like vaccinations, to the herders. Despite a wealth of traditional knowledge (I also brought a thick book from the exhibition, called Plants Used in Animal Care, compiled by Dr. Nitya S. Ghotge and Dr. Sagari R. Ramdas) the Kharai camel breeders now need professional veterinary help.

The pastoralists need help to continue rearing animals. The first step has been taken by the NGO Sahjeevan who has brought them together to make a Camel Breeders Association. Since their uses as cart pullers and ploughers is almost over, maybe we should look at camel milk to better their lives.

The Kharai breeders are families that have done this for generations. They live very simply along the coast, in houses called Pakkhas made of grasses that need to be rebuilt annually. Most of them are illiterate and their main food is bajra and camel milk. They use their camel wool themselves, since there is no one to help them design and market their products.

A few of them grow bajra, guar phalli and millets on drylands, during the monsoon. Most of them are indebted to moneylenders and pay off their loans by selling young camels. Gujarat is in the process of industrializing its coast and these unnecessary industries, which have come up on land given to them at throwaway prices, often block the grazing routes. The Gujarat forest department is equally stupid in its attitude: chemical industries can throw their acids into the mangroves, but camels are not allowed to graze there in case they eat all the mangroves. But they are no threat as their numbers are so low. So the herders have to feed their camels stealthily, often bribing forest rangers.  All this has taken a toll and so the younger generation is leaving for more stable work. Some have shifted to buffalo grazing.

If we are going to preserve the Kharai breed, we will have to preserve the mangrove habitat. Not go for misplaced “development” plans like building ports every few thousand yards simply to benefit the construction lobby. We don’t need the ports. We certainly need the camel.

We need to do a few things for the community: give health services for the camels. Establish a market for camel milk and camel wool. Let the camels go into the mangrove grazing grounds easily. Establish a conservation programme for the Kharai camel in partnership with the communities. You can help by buying a camel wool shawl this winter, or by offering to market their products, many of which are truly beautiful – the mojri shoes made of naturally died camels, their embroideries and weaves like ajrakh.

It was only in 2015 that the camel was recognized as a special breed by ICAR. Each camel has been counted by Sahjeevan, and there are only 3,665 kharai camels left and 79 breeders. Quickly learn about them so that you don’t miss this miraculous animal. To get in touch with Sahjeevan contact : 02832-251814 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Denis Giles

12 December 2016

Created: 12 December 2016

Last Updated: 12 December 2016

Hits: 2557

By Maneka Sanjay Gandhi

My life has gone by waiting for a change in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Thousands of animals are being killed by perverts all over the countryand we need an instrument to punish these people and protect human beings – anyone who is mean to an animal is going to be mean to children and humans as well. To give you an example – acid is thrown on women by men – it is never the other way round. We get rightfully upset. But where does this acid come from? Hundreds of vegetable/fruit sellers, who sell their wares on carts, keep a bottle of acid to throw on hungry cows and bulls that come to beg. That acid is freely sold in order to hurt animals. It then finds its way to hurt women.

In civilized countries, the outrage over wanton cruelty to animals is so intense that governments immediately make laws. In America, citizens and legislators across the nation often come together to ensure that the deaths of abused animals have not been in vain. Among the many state laws dealing directly with animal abuse and neglect, many directly honour the animal victims who inspired their passage. Here are some such landmarks in U.S. legislation:-

1994: Pasado’s Law: Washington, signed by Gov. Mike Lowery-

Pasado, the donkey who lived in a Seattle park, died after three teenagers sneaked into his pasture one night, beat him with tree branches. When he fell, they tied a noose around his neck and pulled him up a tree, strangling him to death. The three boys were charged with breaking and entering—because it carried a greater sentence than beating an animal to death. Congressmen Steve Van Luven and Sandra Romero sponsored Pasado’s Law, whereby any intentional act of animal cruelty would become a felony.

1999: Buster’s Law, New York, signed by Gov. George E. Pataki-

In 1997, Chester Williamson, 16, doused Buster, a cat, with kerosene and set him on fire. This prompted Assemblyman James Tedisco to introduce legislation to make animal cruelty a felony in New York. The bill was appropriately named “Buster’s Bill” in 1999. On June 7, 2000, Gov. Pataki signed another bill strengthening Buster’s Law, requiring anyone convicted under that law to forfeit the abused animal. In May 2008, Williamson pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a mentally disabled 12-year-old girl.

2000: Gucci’s Law, Alabama, signed by Gov. Don Siegelman-

A 12-week-old puppy was beaten, hung and set on fire by a group of teenagers. The dog, named Gucci, survived but was severely burned. The adult abuser was sentenced to six months in jail, while the two juvenile abusers were sentenced to community service. The case drew international outrage. Gucci’s law, or the Pet Protection Act, made cruelty to a pet dog or cat a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

2001: Loco’s Law, Texas, signed by Gov. Rick Perry-

Loco was an 8-month old puppy stolen from his home and thrown days later onto the porch. His eyes had been gouged out. “Loco’s Law” made severe acts of cruelty punishable as state jail felonies on the first offence. Loco was present at the bill signing and added his own paw print.

2001: Rose-Tu’s Law, Oregon, signed by Gov. John Kitzhaber

On December 21, 1999, a woman and child visiting the Oregon Zoo witnessed Fred Marion, an elephant keeper, aggressively strike a 6-year-old female elephant named Rose-Tu with an elephant hook. On April 17, 2000, the same keeper abused Rose-Tu by attempting to insert his ankush into her anus. Investigation showed that Rose-Tu suffered more than 170 wounds.

Animal protection law upgrades, named the Rose-Tu Law, made Oregon the first state in the country to legally recognize the link between animal abuse and violence toward people. The law increased the penalties for Animal Abuse from a misdemeanour to a felony . Rose-Tu’s Law also established more objective definitions for “physical injury” in an animal. It also established the crime of sexual assault of an animal.

2003: Dexter’s Law, Wyoming, signed by Gov. Dave Freudenthal-

On February 16, 2001,Travis Wilson kidnapped Dexter, his girlfriend’s basset hound, and beat him severely, cut off his legs, burned him and threw the remains onto his girlfriend’s driveway. The Wyoming statute makes it a felony, punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment and/or a fine up to $5,000, if someone “knowingly and with intent to cause death, injury or undue suffering, cruelly beats, tortures, torments, injures or mutilates an animal resulting in the death or required euthanasia of the animal.”

2003: Groucho Act, West Virginia, signed by Gov. Bob Wise-

In June 2001, Michael Musulin allegedly hit a woman and her dog while driving drunk. Groucho, the dog, was killed and the woman was injured. The “Groucho Act,” added a felony provision—punishable by one to three years in jail and a fine between $1,000 and $5,000—for torturing or maliciously killing an animal. It removed a statutory cap on damages limiting compensation to the “assessed value” of an injured or killed dog. It required courts to order and review mental health evaluations before granting probation for convicted offenders. It also prohibited those convicted under the cruelty laws from possessing or living with any animal for five years (in the case of misdemeanours) or fifteen years (in felony cases).

2006: Scruffy’s and Magnum’s Law, Kansas, signed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius-

In June 1997, Marcus Rodriguez, Lance Arsenault, Richard Golubski, and Jose Gutierrez stole a pet dog, Scruffy, who was shot with a pellet gun, placed in a plastic bag, set on fire while still alive, and beaten repeatedly with a shovel. They videotaped their crime. A few years later an 11-week-old Labrador puppy, Magnum, was discovered in a trash bin. He had a broken leg, cuts, and chemical burns over much of his body. He had been bound with wire and one paw had been stuffed into his mouth. Citizen anger intensified to pass “Scruffy’s/Magnum’s Law” in 2006, including felony provisions for animal cruelty and requiring those convicted of animal cruelty to serve at least 30 days in jail and pay a fine from $500 to $5,000. In jail, they must have a psychological evaluation and complete an anger management course.

2008: Henry’s Law, Utah, signed by Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr.-

On May 25, 2006, Marc Vincent while arguing with his wife put her dog into an oven at 200 degrees. Henry, a Chihuahua puppy, lost an eye, suffered burns, his claws fused together from the heat, and he will never again be able to walk. “Henry’s Law” adds a felony provision in Utah law for deliberate torture of a cat or a dog.

2008: Romeo’s Law, Kentucky, signed by Gov. Steve Beshear-

On May 31, 2007, Ronald Turner severely beat his Labrador puppy, Romeo. A video made by his neighbour shows Turner “choking the dog several times, throwing the dog up against the tree, rolling the doghouse over the dog, then slamming himself on the dog.” State Senator Tom Buford and Rep. Stan Lee sponsored “Romeo’s Law” to make dog or cat torture a felony. Anyone convicted under Romeo’s Law can face up to 5 years in prison.

2010: Justin’s Law, Suffolk County, New York, signed by Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy-

Justin, a 2-year-old male Doberman, was locked inside a bedroom in a foreclosed house in Centereach, New York and left to die. When the dog was found by Suffolk County SCPA officers in May 2010, he was covered in faeces and near death from starvation. Justin was the inspiration behind Suffolk County’s historic animal abuser registry legislation—the first of its kind in the world–requiring that anyone convicted of animal abuse will appear on a publicly accessible and searchable database for five years. Animal abuse offenders must provide their name, address and photograph for posting in the online database. Those who fail to register will be subject to a $1,000 fine and/or up to a year in jail.

2011: Cooney’s Law, Nevada, signed by Gov. Brian Sandoval-

In October 2010, Raymond Rios used a box cutter to cut open his beagle Cooney’s abdomen and watched as she ran around the room, bleeding, her intestines falling out. Cooney died of shock and blood loss. “Cooney’s Law” made heinous acts of cruelty against companion animals a felony. Under the new law, a person who “wilfully and maliciously” tortures or unjustifiably maims, mutilates or kills a cat, dog or animal “kept for companionship or pleasure” will be guilty of a category D felony, and a category C felony if the act is done in order to “threaten, intimidate or terrorize another person.”

2013: Nitro’s Law, Ohio, signed by Gov. John Kasich-

In October 2008, authorities found dead and starving dogs locked inside filthy kennels at Steve Croley’s High Caliber K-9 “training facility.” Eight dogs had starved to death, including a Rottweiler named Nitro. Twelve others were barely alive. With the passage of “Nitro’s Law,” a breeder, kennel owner or employee who abuses an animal can be charged with a felony.

2014 Puppy Doe’s Law, Massachusetts, signed by Gov. Deval Patrick-

In August 2013, a puppy, nicknamed “Puppy Doe” was discovered on the streets of Quincy. She had been beaten, tortured, and starved so severely that she had to be euthanized. A post-mortem showed she had suffered a long period of severe abuse. The perpetrator, Radoslaw Czerkawski, has also been charged with stealing $130,000 from a 95-year-old woman with dementia.

“Puppy Doe’s Law”, passed on November 18, 2014, increased the maximum prison time for an animal cruelty conviction from 5 to 7 years and increased the maximum fine from $2,500 to $5,000. It created enhanced penalties for repeat offenders—up to 10 years in prison and up to $10,000. It requires veterinarians to report suspected animal cruelty.

Shaktiman should have alerted the government to redo the PCA Act or, at the very least, stop horses being used in the police. Lakhs of people protested. The government ignored them. Two businessmen go round Kerala paying people to kill friendly dogs and display their bodies. The state government is paralysed. What will they do when these businessmen start paying to export orphan children?

To join the animal welfare movement contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., www.peopleforanimalsindia.org