Cruelty towards animals for leather

Cows, buffaloes, sheep and goats are used to make leather. These animals are killed to make cheap leather which is sold around the world including US and Europe.

In India cows are sacred. But now they are killed for their skin which is made into cheap leather.  

The animals are bought from poor families in rural India getting assurances that their animals will have a happy life and die naturally. But that is a pure lie.

The animals are packed in huge numbers in trucks in which most of the animals become badly injured. They are gouged by the horns of other animals or get crushed. Many of the animals die also.

Handlers cruelly twist the animal’s necks and tails hard and pull the nose rope to force the animals out of the truck.

By the time the animals are unloaded from the trucks most of them have collapsed because they are injured, exhausted or dead.

In the Deonar slaughter house (Mumbai) you see animals injured and dead strewn every where on the ground.

The animals aren’t immediately slaughtered. They are left in the scorching and burning sun. They have no medical care, food or water.

Some animals are pulled away by tractors.

The animals face such a torture that it is a relief to be slaughtered.

The animal’s meat is supposed to be exported to Muslim countries. That is why the animals are supposed to be killed nicely in the Islamic Halal manner. But the animals aren’t at all killed nicely. Hacking and sawing replaces the quick slice across the throat with a sharp knife. They are slaughtered with dirty blunt knifes. The animals are slaughtered in full view of other animals. The animals are slaughtered on disgusting floors covered with blood, urine, feces and guts. Animals who don’t want to enter the killing floor are cruelly beaten until they move into the killing floor.

And did you know that some animals are skinned and dismembered while they are still alive.

All this is terrible.

So please don’t buy leather for the sake of animals.

Watch this video on on cruelty towards animals for leather
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb8lZyRkoGg&feature=r

Abused horses



An abused horse



In Panchgani (a hill station near Pune ) there is a place called Table point. Table point is a place where tourists come and ride horses.



There are some beautiful and expensive horses. These horses are well kept and are used for riding. Then there are horses that aren’t very expensive and beautiful. These horses are used for riding and are not very nicely kept. And then there are the horses that pull carts. These horses are very cheap and are horribly kept.

The horses on Table point are often beaten and whipped. They are made to work very hard.

Riding horses





Riding horses are not very nicely kept. They often are sick. They have rashes on the skin. This is often because soap is used to clean them, and soap isn’t good for horses. And in the stables they don’t have proper bedding. So while they sleep they injure themselves.

Cart horses



A horse that pulls a cart

Cart horses are terribly kept. They aren’t expensive and beautiful at all so they aren’t kept well. They aren’t fed well. They don’t have proper bedding in the stables. They have to pull a cart for the full day. When they don’t pull the cart they are whipped.

Cases of ill-treated horses I have seen



A horse who is thin like a skeleton

 I once saw a horse who was tired to pull the cart. The owner had to whip the horse a few times before the tired horse pulled the cart. One horse I saw was tied to the cart and was standing. He couldn’t sit as he was tied to the cart. The horse looked tired of standing. Another horse was tied up. This horse was dreadfully thin. It was a skeleton. Its ribs were poking out. Its bones were poking out. It was injured. It was sick. It had a bruise on the shoulder. Its leg seemed to have wound that was very dirty. This was the worst ill-treated horse I have ever seen.

The same horse who has got a wound in the leg



Young male elephant wounded by a train

A 25 years old male elephant was badly wounded by a train in Dehradun. This incident happened on 21 October 2010.  The elephant was killed at 8 in the night.

The elephant was grievously wounded. The elephant has a fracture between its hip joint and thigh. It is badly wounded, but now there is hope that the elephant will survive.

The elephant is being given antibiotics, vitamins and calcium.

Hope the poor elephant recovers.

If you want to know more on this accident have a look at this link http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6832327.cms

Poaching of Gangetic river dolphins in India



A Gangetic river dolphin



There are River dolphins in India and Bangladesh also. These dolphins are called Gangetic river dolphins. Their scientific name is Platanista Gangetica Gangetica. These dolphins have a long beak, and a triangular ridge for a fin.

Gangetic river dolphins are poached.

But what are the Gangetic river dolphins poached for?

These dolphins are killed by poachers for their fat which is made into oil for lamps.

 In India there are 2,000 Gangetic river dolphins. It is said that the Gangetic river dolphin population has declined by 50% over the last five decades.

These dolphins sometimes are accidently caught in the nets of fishermen.

A few months back, four Gangetic dolphins were killed and poachers were suspected. Later on, an investigation revealed that the poor dolphins had been trapped and then beaten to death. The proof was that the dolphins had several marks on their necks and heads.

Another problem for the Gangetic river dolphin is that the Ganga is getting polluted. The fish they eat are contaminated.

Poor dolphins! With all this they surely are getting extinct.

If you want to know more on the problems of the Gangetic river dolphin have a look at this link http://www.ecologyforchildren.com/wildlife-tales.html You will find an ecological tale about the Gangetic river dolphins here.

Cruelty towards dancing bears in India



Dancing bear



Dancing bears don’t have a happy life. When they are four or five weeks old they are taken away from their mother. If the mother tries to protect her little babies then she is cruelly killed. Then they are taken to the Kalandar’s village. The Kalandars is a nomadic tribe. On the journey to the village of the Kalandar’s many of the baby sloth bears die because of starvation, shock and dehydration. The poor little bears who survive are sold to the Kalandars for 800 RS.

In the Kalandars village the infant bear is put under a basket. It is left without food, water or any contact of the outside world. Like this it spends its first few days. Then it is taken out and tied up to a post in the village where children torment the poor bear. Then a hot needle is inserted into the nuzzle of the bear, without anesthesia. Then a ring is attached to the piercing. This happens before the age of six months. Often a second piercing is done.

Before the cub has reached the age of one year their incisor and canine teeth are knocked out with a hammer. Because of this the bears can only eat soft food, and that causes digestive problems.

Then the bear is trained cruelly. The owner wants the bear to be scared of him. Between 60% or 70% of the poor little bear cubs die before they can be even trained. But infect the cubs who die are lucky. As the owner wants that the bears to be submissive he tortures them, beats them and starves them till they spirit is broken and the they become submissive.

How to train a sloth bear?

Hot coals are placed under their feet. This is to make the bear stand on its hind legs. Once standing the bear’s trainers hit each of the poor bear’s paws with a stick. To avoid that the bear will lift his hind paws in turn. The trainers of the bear tap the bear’s muzzle, so that the bear lifts its paws on its muzzle. Now it is a dancing bear.

The bear works for 6 hours a day and when special occasions are there, they work for 10 hours. The bear and owner travel for long distances on foot for 8 or 9 months a year.

When a bear is sick the owner usually consults the village elders instead of a vet.

Oh, I forgot to tell you one more earth shattering fact.




A sloth bear lives for 30 years in freedom, but in captivity they hardly ever live beyond the age of 8 years.

Once the bear is too old to dance or is sick  (many bears have the disease of tuberculosis) is often send to Pakistan for bear baiting fights. In these fights the bear is tied, then dogs are set on the bear. If the bear survives, when its wounds are fine it will again be in a fight. A bear usually only lasts three fights before it is ripped into pieces.



Bear baiting



Cub in the cupboard

Cub in the cupboard is written by Lucy Daniels.

Cub in the cupboard happens in England.

Cub in the cupboard is part of the series of books of Animal Ark. In this series of books you learn to respect animals like Mandy Hope. She is an animal lover. Mandy’s parents Adam and Emily Hope are vets. Her best friend is James Hunter. He is also an animal lover.

One day Mandy and James discover a mother fox who has gotten caught in a trap. She has recently given birth to baby foxes. Only one fox cub have survived. Mandy and James bring the mother fox and her baby to Animal Ark, where Mandy’s parents run an animal hospital.

After some time the fox cub turns to naughty and he no longer can stay in Animal Ark, but his mother is too sick to go back into the wild. Mandy and James have to find a home for him till they can release him in the wild?

And then Mandy and James discover another fox trap. Can they find out who is the person setting the fox traps?

If you want to know more on animal traps click here

Nasty tiger traps in India



A tiger trap

Tiger traps are usually used to kill or hurt the tigers without damaging their extraordinary fur. This way the poachers get its fur intact. But traps aren’t good for the tigers. They hurt them and give them lots of pain.

Here is a bit you have to know on tiger snares.

Leg hold snares

These leg hold snares are wonderful for the poachers. They are cheap, simple and highly effective.  

A team of hunters can set 60 or more snares per day. This way they can cover maximum region, and that gives them more chance to catch the tigers. And the good thing for the poachers is that these traps aren't  expensive.

A tiger trap that has been found



Before setting the snares there often is a scouting trip. This is so that the poachers know where they have to set the snares. The poachers look for signs like tracks. There also choose the regions where there are lots of tiger prey.

But how is a tiger trap made?

 It often takes a day to set all the snares. A small pit is dug for each snare. Then it is covered with leaves, sticks and debris, this is to hide it. A small and supple tree or tree branch near the snare is needed to act as the spring. Then the poachers put a small log or branch in front of the snare.

But how does this snare work?

Well, the tiger has to step over the log and into the loop of the wire snare. This will trigger the tree spring and tighten the noose round its foot.



A tiger killed by a trap



Neck and Body snares

To make these snares you need two sticks of 130 cm long. They are erected 60 cm apart.

Then a snare is made using steel wires. Then it is placed between the two sticks and the end is attached to a tree that is young, flexible but yet strong.

But how does a tiger get trapped in these snares?

A tiger walking on the path will push the wire releasing the trigger. The tree will get back to its straight position, and this will draw the snare tight around the poor tiger’s body or neck.

Pit traps

A tiger trap that is getting set

Making pit traps is most of the time not used in hunting tigers. One reason for this is that to make a pit trap it is cheap, but it needs lots of labour. It also takes lots of time to dig a pit trap. And you can't digg as many pits, so lass chance to catch a tiger. Another thing is that the poachers have more chance to be caught while digging the traps.

Horrible, isn’t it. Traps really aren’t fun for the tigers.

Elephant poaching in India

Ivory

Elephants exist in India.

So, of course they are poached in India also.

But why are elephants poached?

Well, they are poached for their ivory and sometimes meat. I never knew that elephants are sometimes poached for their meat! Do you think elephant meat tastes good?



A poached elephant

 Ivory is prized for its close-grained texture, mellow colour and pleasing smoothness. It is also a wonderful material to carve.

Did you know how many elephants are left in the wild?

There are about 50,000 elephants left in the wild in India.

And I forgot to tell you this earth shattering fact!

In India only male elephants have tusks and are poached, there for  there are more females then males, and this will give problem for the breeding of elephants. Poor elephants! Poaching gives them lots of trouble.

Do you know who is Veerappan?
He was a bandit or robber in Karnataka (india).
He poached 200 hundred elephants and smuggled ivory.
Orrisa was famous since the time of king Ashoka for its big number of elephants. But the sad thing today is that Orrisa's number of elephants has reduced, soon it will stop being famous for its elephant population because of poachers.

If you want to help elephants don't buy ivory.

Rhino poaching in India

Did you know rhinos are being poached for their horns? 



The Indian rhino of Assam

Yes, Of course!

Rhinos also live in India. They live in Assam.

But what are rhinos poached for?

For their horns, of course!

But what are their horns used for? As such they don’t look very beautiful.

Their horns have been prized for ten centuries for their beautiful colours when carved. It is believed that rhino horns cures fevers, stomach ailments and other diseases.

Did you know that rhinos in India might soon become extinct? 

Did you know that rhino horns are valued at 37000 US dollars?

And did you know that in 2008 18 rhinos wer killed and in 2009 14 rhinos were killed. And this year 10 rhinos were killed.

Here is a little information you need to know on the poachers who poach the rhinos in India.

These poachers travel in groups of just three to five people. They come from Nagaland to Assam, to kill the great one horned rhino. There is one local person who is familiar to the region, he is the helper. There is a person who carries the provision, (he often is local to the place).

It is illegal to hunt rhinos in India but still they are poached.

Sad, isn’t it? Who would want rhinos to get extinct from India? If you want to know more on rhino poaching visit this link  http://www.rhinoconservation.org/2010/05/13/indias-rhino-poaching-gangs-a-closer-look/



A rhino that has been poached







Seven elephants killed in a train accident

Seven elephants were killed by a goods train on Wednesday 11 September 2010 in India. This incident happened in JALPAIGURI district 1.5km from BANERHAT station. Three adult females, two young elephants, a full grown male elephant and a calf got killed.  dTwo young elephants were walking on the railway track when the signal came and the railway track closed. The baby elephants got trapped. The other elephants came to rescue them, and then the train came and killed them. One elephant charged at the train and the driver made the train speed up even faster and killed the elephant. Two elephants were badly wounded but not dead. They even managed to drag themselves out of the railway track. They died the next morning.

The place had no big trees and it was a moonlit night.  The driver would have been able to see the elephants. If the driver had been driving at a good speed he would have been able to stop the train from hitting all the elephants.

If you want to read more have a look at this link  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Goods-train-mows-downs-7-elephants/articleshow/6616632.cms In this link there is also a video on the accident.

Have a look at this video on the accident. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzHM4ANRp3w

Elephants in the East

Elephants in the East is written by Lucy Daniels.

Elephants in the East happens in Kenya.  It is a story about the poaching of elephants. It is part of the series of Animal Ark. In this story Mandy, a girl who loves animals wants to save a mother elephant from getting poached for ivory.

Mandy and her best friend James have gone to Africa. Mandy’s parents Adam and Emily Hope are vets. Mandy and her parents and her best friend James stay in England but have come to Africa for a holiday. In Africa they are staying in Kenya, in a wildlife reserve. In the reserve, they are staying with a scientist call Levina.

One day Levina gets a call from one of the wardens of the reserve. He says that a vet from Mombasa who has specialized in elephants is going to fly tomorrow to treat an elephant named Tina who has gotten attacked by poachers.

Mandy and James are eager to help save Tina the elephant and, so they go with their parents and the vet from Mombasa to see her and help her. They manage to treat Tina.

Tina has got a baby named Evie. After Tina had gotten attacked by the poachers there was no sign of the baby.

Mandy and James decide to stay with the wardens to look for Evie.  There are not able to find her by dusk.  Mandy and James start getting worried for Evie. How will Mandy and James find little Evie?

In this book you learn all about elephant poaching in Africa and you also learn some elephant facts. In this book you also learn to respect animals like Mandy who protected the elephants till the last.

Elephants are poached for their ivory, but they are also poached sometimes for their meat. There are 40,000 elephant in India and 500,000 elephants left in Africa. Ivory is a good material for carving. Ivory has a mellow colour, close grained texture and pleasing smoothness. This is why people like ivory.

If you want to know more on the poaching of elephants click here

Tiger poaching in India



tiger skin

Poor tigers! Only 1411 of them are left in India.

Did you know that tigers are poached for their whiskers, tail, claws, bones, canines and skin?

Here is the list of tiger products.

1. The canine of a tiger is used to make ornamental jewellery.
2. Tiger claws are often inlaid in gold. This is used to make pendants for necklaces.



3. Tiger whiskers are believed to have magical powers.

4. Tiger bones are used to make medicines.

5. The paw sole of a tiger is used for ritual purposes.

Tiger products are used to make many more things. If I narrated the list of them you would get dead bored.

Poachers often set snares to trap tigers. Before the poachers set the snares, investigation trips are often conducted to choose sites to place the snares in. The poachers look for signs of tigers like tracks. They also choose places that have lots of prey for tigers.

Tiger poachers rarely use guns to kill the tigers. This is because they don’t want to spoil the gorgeous skin of the tigers.

If you want to know more on tiger traps click here.

Dairy cows don’t have a happy life

Do Dairy cows have a wonderful life?

No, of course not!

In Europe cows are forced to produce as much milk as possible. To force the cows to give lots of milk the dairy people do lots of things like giving hormones to the cows. Some cows in Dairy industries are given growth hormones. These hormones cause the poor cow’s udders to become big and heavy, and that causes infections.

Another hormone is the Bovine growth hormone and this hormone increases birth defects for the poor calf.

Oh, I forgot to tell you another Earth shattering fact!



Dairy cow with Cannula



People have fixed a window in the side of the cow. This window’s posh scientific name is Cannula. Thanks to this window people can look inside the cow’s stomach and see if her digestion is good. This way they can improve the digestion of the cow, and that way she will give more milk.

It must be horrible for the poor cow. Who would like a window in her side? And it can get infected.



And guess how much milk dairy cows produce per day?

They produce 100 pounds of milk per day. Surprising, isn’t it? And that is 10 times more than the natural produce of a cow.

A calf is separated from its mother almost afterbirth and kept in a small cage till it grows little fat and plump. Then it is slaughtered for its white meat.



Peacocks are being poached for their meat and feathers

Did you know that peacocks are being poached for their meat and feathers?

Yes, of course!

It is illegal to poach peacocks but still the poachers manage to poach the poor peacocks secretly without anyone knows. They poach the peacocks for their meat and feathers. Isn’t it cruel?

As the poachers don’t want the feathers of the peacock to become bloody, they break the unfortunate peacock's legs. Then they take away the peacock's feathers.Then they kill it. Horrid, isn’t it! And the poor peacock must be having lots of pain. Isn’t it extremely cruel?

And to make things worse farmers are using pesticides in their fields. As the peacock eats the grains that are coated with pesticide the unlucky peacock gets poisoned and dies. Poor peacocks!

With all this the population of peacocks is dwindling. Very sad, isn’t it? And the peacock is the national bird of India and it is getting extinct.

Who would like to see these beautiful birds getting extinct?