Pet owners have the right, after all, to refuse treatment for their terminally ill pets. That’s the upshot of a ruling by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts in the USA earlier this year in a case of animal cruelty brought against a woman who refused to have her terminally ill dog put down. Mary Ann Russo from Weymouth in the commonwealth of Massachusetts took her 14-year-old cocker spaniel, Tipper, to an animal hospital twice...
Burt, the iconic saltwater crocodile that starred in the hit Australian film Crocodile Dundee (1986), has died “peacefully” at the herpetarium and aquarium in Darwin, Northern Territory, where it was living since 2008. Burt, a “confirmed bachelor”, was believed to have been over 90 years old. Crocosaurus Cove, the facility where the huge crocodile spent its final years, characterized its death as “the end of an incredible era”. In a statement on Instagram, the wildlife...
At least two Asian elephants died avoidable deaths this week, one in Assam in India and the other on the Indonesian island of Bali. In the first case, an elephant that was part of a herd that emerged from the Dehingmukh reserve forest and was foraging in a paddy field was electrocuted when it raised its trunk and accidentally touched a low-hanging 11 kV power line. The incident occurred on Friday at Madhupur Paroliguri village,...
At least seven greyhound races, organized illegally by local groups in Punjab and Haryana, were scuttled over the past month following complaints from the India arm of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Two races, however, could not be prevented. Upon receiving reports of greyhound races scheduled to take place in Punjab earlier this month at Muktsar on December 6, Mohali on December 8, and Lasoi village in Malerkotla on December 10, PETA India...
Film actor-producer John Abraham has backed the campaign of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and called upon the Himalayan republic of Nepal to end the animal cruelty and abuse that is commonplace at the Chitwan Elephant Festival. In a letter to Nepal’s Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey, the movie star wrote, “As someone who has witnessed the beauty of elephants in their natural habitat, I can tell you...
Purina PetCare, veterinary products division of Nestlé, on Monday announced a donation of $4.5 million, or about Rs 38 crore, to three top veterinary schools in the USA on the occasion of International Day of Veterinary Medicine. The aim of the donations is to drive innovation and excellence in pet health and veterinary education over the next five years and beyond, the company said in a press release. Also See: U.K. poll confirms walking your...
A new online Master Class course to train scientists in testing cosmetics and chemicals without using animals is being hailed as a game-changer for cruelty-free testing. Featuring real-world case studies to walk scientists through animal-free testing step by step, the curriculum launched by the Animal-Free Safety Assessment collaboration has attracted over 1,200 participants from nearly 70 countries since its debut in 2023, highlighting a global interest in innovative, ethical testing methods, the Humane Society International...
The global veterinary medicine market, valued at $46.51 billion in 2023, or about Rs3.92 lakh crore at the current exchange rate, is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 7.77% to reach $85.05 billion, or about Rs7.18 lakh crore, by 2031, according to a new marketing research report. This growth in the vet medicine market is attributed to the rising awareness of animal health and welfare, coupled with increased adoption of companion...
Do you speak to your dog or cat as if it were a human being? If your answer is yes, take heart. You are not alone. A survey carried out in Australia among dog and cat owners found that more than 90% talk to their pets as if they were simply another member of the family. The poll of 1,000 Australians from pet insurer Budget Direct found that about 59% said they regularly talk to...
In a horrific, but not unusual, incident on November 18, a temple elephant in Tamil Nadu trampled her mahout and a relative of the attendant to death. It is unclear what triggered the elephant’s anger. But the India chapter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has offered to gift a robotic elephant to the Subramania Swamy temple in Tiruchendur town in return for Deivanai’s release from custody and rehabilitation at a sanctuary, “where...
