Bhubaneswar: To mark the occasion of International Women’s Day, a campaign was organised at PMG square here in which the female supporters of the ‘People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PeTA) India and People for Animals (PFA) including kids crammed themselves into cages to remind passers-by that hens bred in poultries spend their entire lives in similar structures. These cages are so small that the brids can’t even spread their wings.
PETA campaign coordinator Radhika Suryavanshi said, “All women deserve to be free and happy including hens who spend every day of their lives crammed in filthy wire cages so that humans can steal their eggs. PeTA India is calling on everyone to show some kindness to hens on International Women’s Day by choosing only vegan meals.”
Suryavanshi added: “Animals are not ours to eat. Hens the provide eggs are confined to a space that’s smaller than an A4 sheet of paper. They face cruelty also. Their beaks are sliced off with a hot blade and without painkillers. This is done so that they cannot peck and hurt one another within the cage. Once they stop giving eggs, they are slaughtered. This must stop.”
The organisers also said that it is good to go vegan and stop the unnecessary slaughter of hens and chickens. They said people eat veg food successfully reduce the risk of a number of diseases including heart attack, obesity, cancer, and diabetes.
The women activists claimed that chicken flesh contains as much artery-clogging cholesterol as beef.
Moreover, a single egg is loaded with more than 20 mg cholesterol. Because of the extremely crowded condition in poultry farms, bacteria like salmonella and campylobacter spread like wildfire and can easily pass through the shells and infect the eggs. Such bacteria can cause more food poisoning than any other bacteria and some food safety agencies have identified chickens as a major source of campylobacter, they argued.
Purabi Patra of Animal Welfare Trust, Ekamra and other participants in the campaign said the people should avoid chicken, meat and other animal products in the wake of the coronavirus scare across the globe. They urged people to eat more vegetables and fruits to keep several diseases at bay.
PNN