Animal welfare organisation, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), on Thursday announced its Hero to Animals Award for Assam-based Bollywood singer-actor Zubeen Garg.
The award is for his call to end animal sacrifice at Guwahati’s Kamakhya temple at a Bihu function on May 28.
“All religions call for compassion. No religion requires killing or eating animals, and hacking animals to death with weapons is just plain cruel,” Sachin Bangera, PETA-India’s associate director of celebrity and public relations, said.
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“We commend Zubeen for being a voice for animals and calling for an end to animal sacrifices,” he added.
Mr. Garg is a member of People For Animals (PFA), another animal rights organisation.
A PETA statement said it has previously given Hero to Animals Award to a few celebrities. They include actor Asin Thottumkal for saving a dog that was hit by a car, actor and TV personality Cyrus Broacha for refusing to perform a stunt that involved riding a bull, actor Zarine Khan for rescuing a cat from the street, actor Rani Mukerji for helping a dog in distress on her film set, and actor Dia Mirza’s production house for giving hope to homeless animals.
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One of PETA’s major successes, along with PFA, was influencing the Municipal Council of Kullu in Himachal Pradesh to issue an executive order refusing to grant permission for animal sacrifices on the last day of the Kullu Dussehra festival.
PETA has also campaigned against animal sacrifice during Bakrid with a letter from the Animal Welfare Board of India to the States saying killing of animals outside licensed slaughterhouses is illegal under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules of 2001.