Animal Rights

In Kerala, the festival season is often a period of cruelty to snakes and other animals, used as props. A number of cinematic dance troupes use snakes on stage shows. Various troupes compete on their variety of snakes available to exhibit. The snakes are denied food and water, and are exposed to intense light on-stage.

PFA brought this to the notice of the Chief Conservator of Forests (Wild Life) in March, 2005. The Forestry Department immediately issued a press notification banning the use of snakes on stage. Later, the captive snakes were rescued and released to the forests.

A "Gajamela" is a festival involving decorated elephants in processions and displays. Kollam has possibly the largest number of these yearly all over India. The Constitution of India has a provision "Rules for the Maintenance of Captive Elephants 2003", but there is no active authority to enforce these rules. Elephants are typically made to walk long distances without proper food or water, and ill-trained mahouts beat the animals brutally. PFA has begun to monitor these festivals, and appeals to the authorities (including the President of the Tranvancore Devaswom Board, The Chief Wildlife Warden, Director of Animal Husbandry, Director & Secretary of the Animal Welfare Board of India) when malpractice is observed.

Zoology degree students of Kerala University had to conduct a series of practical experiments on frogs.Four of these were on live frogs. The live frogs had to be pithed (destroying the spinal chord with a needle) without anasthesia. Due to severe pain the frogs scream and urinate. It had a traumatizing effect on the students and many could not do it.