VIDEO: Rescued Animals Join Diwali Festival of Lights Celebrations at PETA-Supported Sanctuaries in India
31 October 2024
VIDEO: Rescued Animals Join Diwali Festival of Lights Celebrations at PETA-Supported Sanctuaries in India
London – For Diwali, Animal Rahat, a PETA-supported organisation that helps some of the most neglected animals – bullocks, donkeys, and other working animals – in India, is releasing a joyous video that shows its tradition of including animals in national celebrations. The video – shot at Animal Rahat’s sanctuaries in the Indian states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal – starts as colourful fruits and fresh vegetables are chopped and set out in heart-shaped designs for camels, bulls, dogs, horses, goats, chickens and other rescued animals, who had a hard life before but now wear marigold garlands and show their delight as they enjoy the tantalising feast.
“The animals at PETA-supported Animal Rahat’s sanctuaries have been rescued from terrible situations, such as being experimented on in laboratories, raised for slaughter, forced to perform in circuses, or used to haul heavy loads of steel or sugarcane,” says Animal Rahat Chief Operating Officer Dr Naresh Chandra Upreti. “But at Animal Rahat sanctuaries, the safety, comfort, and happiness of rescued animals is paramount. During this celebration, we light up the animals’ lives and you can see the happiness in their eyes.”
Animal Rahat’s sanctuaries are located in secluded areas away from fireworks and other loud noises, but animals in cities and towns aren’t so lucky. PETA and Animal Rahat encourage Diwali celebrants to use quiet sparklers or diyas instead of loud fireworks, which terrify animals and cause many to become hurt or lost as they flee their homes and neighbourhoods.
PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow the group on Facebook, X, TikTok, or Instagram. For more information about Animal Rahat and to support its life-saving work, please visit AnimalRahat.com.
Contact:
Lucy Watson +44 (0) 20 7923 6244; [email protected]
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