Kolkata 02 December 2025 :
In a compassionate display of solidarity towards animals, schoolchildren from Loreto House in Kolkata are set to spearhead a nationwide protest organised by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India. The demonstration comes in response to the Supreme Court’s recent directive permitting the roundup of community dogs from public spaces including college campuses, highways, and bus stops, as well as the removal of cattle from streets.
Marking a national day of action, the children will don symbolic dog and cow masks and join PETA India supporters dressed in community animal costumes. Holding placards reading “Dogs and Cows are Kolkatans, Too” and other messages promoting compassion, the students will urge the Court to reverse the order and recognise the rightful place of animals in their neighbourhoods.
To further highlight their message, the children will distribute vibrant “Save Desi Dogs” bandanas and lovingly tie them onto local dogs, reinforcing the sentiment that community animals are loved, valued, and deserve protection. Similar demonstrations are being held simultaneously by schoolchildren in Mumbai and Goa.
📍 Location: South Gate, Victoria Memorial, Opp. PG Hospital, 1 Queens Way, Maidan, Kolkata – 700071
🕛 Time: Tuesday, 2 December 2025 at 12:00 noon
PETA India’s Policy Associate, Chumki Dutta, emphasised that compassion—not imprisonment—is the answer to managing community animals. “Displacing and jailing up to millions of animals is impossible, unlawful, and cruel. The only scientifically backed solution to reduce the dog population is sterilisation, vaccination, and compassion,” she said, adding that dairies abandoning male calves and cows no longer producing milk is a prevailing injustice that must be addressed.
Loreto House School Principal, Mrs. Purbita Bagchi, expressed pride in her students’ empathy: “We teach children that kindness is strength. Today, they stand in solidarity with the animals who share our planet.”
A National Crisis for Community Animals
India is home to over 60 million community dogs, with 8.8 million already in overcrowded shelters, and more than 5 million abandoned cattle left to suffer once they cease to be profitable for the dairy industry. PETA India points out that impounding animals in inadequate facilities or blocking them out of public spaces violates the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, which prohibit displacement of community dogs.
The organisation is further calling for the shutdown of unregistered pet shops and breeders whose commercial practices lead to more animals being abandoned and forced into shelters.
PETA India’s Stand
PETA India advocates replacing harmful practices with humane and lawful measures such as sterilisation and vaccination, promoting a vegan lifestyle, and shutting illegal dairies that contribute to animal abandonment and suffering.
For more details about the movement and its campaigns, the public is encouraged to visit PETAIndia.com or follow PETA India on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
Contact:
Utkarsh Garg – UGarg@petaindia.org | +91 93249 38169
Anushka Yadav – AYadav@petaindia.org | +91 91679 07382
