Hyderabad – In the lead-up to Eid al-Adha, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, in collaboration with the Serve Needy Voluntary Organisation, joined hands with vegan singer and actor Zahrah S Khan to donate nutritious and flavourful vegan soya biryani to 1000 persons in need in Hyderabad. Zahrah is known for singing the hit song Kusu Kusu from Satyamev Jayate. She also recently lent her voice to a song Rang in Skyforceand a track in Rajkummar Rao’s Bhul Chuk Maaf.  
 
“I feel humbled and grateful to share delicious vegan biryani with 1000 people in Hyderabad for the auspicious occasion of Eid al-Adha,” says Zahrah. “For Eid, many people honour Allah’s mercy by distributing vegan food or clothing, sponsoring children’s education or devoting volunteer time to charity. These acts of kindness benefit both humans and animals.”
 
All religions call for compassion, and no religion requires meat-eating. Every occasion, whether religious or not, can be celebrated with kindness to animals. Choosing alternative forms of sacrifice not only honours the spirit of Eid but can also mean the difference between life and death for animals.
 
“It is commanded unto us to eat what is halal and tayyib, which means not only lawful but also pure, wholesome and ethically sourced food,” says PETA India Senior Advocacy Officer, Farhat Ul Ain. “The reality is that today’s meat production violates these values at every step. From the cruelty of factory farms to the disregard for animal welfare up to slaughter, there’s no mercy at any step. We must ask ourselves: can something truly be halal if it causes immense suffering? The answer is ‘no’.”
 
Each year, thousands of animals, including goats, buffaloes and chickens are killed for sacrifice. Many such animals are crammed into severely crowded trucks in violation of animal transport laws, which routinely causes broken bones, suffocation and suffering. During sacrifice, untrained individuals cut open the animals’ throats or decapitate them in full view of other terrified animals without first stunning them – a mandatory, but often ignored, legal requirement for animals killed in licensed slaughterhouses.
 
Animals are intelligent, social beings with distinct personalities. Goats are curious problem-solvers who form strong bonds and can remember faces. Buffaloes are known for their emotional depth and strong family ties, often fiercely protecting calves. Chickens can count, worry about the future, and even dream— just like humans.
 
The consumption of meat and other animal-derived foods also hurts our health and has been conclusively linked to heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancer and obesity. A United Nations report concluded that a global shift towards vegan eating is essential to combat the worst effects of climate change. 
 
Each kind choice we make—like sharing a vegan meal—brings us closer to a world where compassion guides faith and daily life. This Eid, let’s give animals a reason to celebrate, too. Eid Mubarak!

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Mumbai – Following appeals from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India regarding the common poultry industry practice of killing male chicks (because they can’t lay eggs) and other unwanted chicks in cruel and illegal ways, the Commissionerate of Animal Husbandry, Maharashtra, has issued instructions to district animal husbandry commissioners and the district societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals to take action to stop the illegal killing of chicks. It further directs the use of in ovo sex-determination technology – which identifies male embryos at an early stage of development so that eggs rather than live birds can be destroyed – when it becomes commercially available in India. The directions were issued following instructions from the Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries, Maharashtra, on the issuance of the order.  

A copy of the circular can be found here. The latest video footage of the killing of chicks in India can be found here, and a report on the practice can be viewed and downloaded here. 

The commissionarate also advises that in the meantime, unwanted chicks should be handled by methods prescribed by the World Organisation for Animal Health and the Animal Welfare Board of India. Currently, chicks unwanted by the egg and meat industries are killed via grinding, crushing, burning, drowning, or even being fed to fish.  

In its appeals, PETA India pointed out that the usual cruel methods of killing unwanted chicks violate Section 11(1)(l) of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. The group requested that the state end any cruel killing methods practised by its poultry hatcheries and that the government require that the egg industry use in ovo sex-determination technology. This new technology has been developed abroad and is in use.  

“The horrific killing of male chicks simply because they can’t lay eggs is cruel and should be stopped immediately,” says PETA India Deputy Director of Advocacy Projects Harshil Maheshwari. “We thank Maharashtra’s government for recognising the need to spare countless chicks gruesome deaths and encourage it to help bring in ovo technology to India immediately.”  

Following PETA India’s appeals, the animal husbandry departments of Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Goa have committed to using in ovo sex-determination technology when it becomes available in India. Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh have issued orders directing an end to the current illegal and cruel chick-killing practices. Early this year, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Egg Laying Hens) Rules, 2023 – which require that unwanted male chicks be euthanised in accordance with the guidelines prescribed by the World Organisation for Animal Health – were notified. However, farms don’t have to meet this bare-minimum requirement until 2029.  

Around the world, countries are taking action to ban the killing of male chicks by the egg industry. Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and Luxembourg are prohibiting the killing of male chicks on various timelines. And nine EU countries are calling for a Europe-wide ban on the practice. 

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