The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Anti-leather campaign gets off the ground

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 20, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Anti-leather campaign gets off the ground

Staff Reporter

Karuna International launches campaign, gets grant for animal welfare measures Karuna International launches drive, gets grant for animal welfare campaign

YOUNG ACTIVISTS: Student members of the Karuna International take out a procession in West Mambalam on Thursday, urging people to use alternatives to leather. — Photo: M. Vedhan

CHENNAI: The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) on Thursday donated Rs. 5 lakhs to Karuna International, an organisation involved in educating children on humane ways of treating animals, as it launched a campaign to push for the use of non-leather products.

R. Balasubramanian, Secretary, AWBI, said the grant was provided to spread awareness among school children about compassion for and preventing cruelty to animals and to use non-leather products.

Health hazard

Appaji Rao, a veterinarian and animal welfare activist, called for shunning leather products, which, he said, could cause health problems.

There were plenty of alternatives to leather in the market.

Moreover, leather was a by-product of slaughtering animals, which were killed cruelly for their meat, he said.

Members of Karuna International said they printed one-lakh pamphlets, which would be distributed to student members of the Karuna Clubs.

In the city the clubs were functioning in more than 250 schools, they said.

Rally by students

As part of the campaign, student members of Karuna Clubs from various city schools took out a rally.

The rally began from Brindavan Street, West Mambalam and passed through Lake View Road, Thambiah Road, Arya Gowda Road and Jubilee Road before returning to B.S.Mootha Girls Senior Secondary School on Brindavan Street.

Students carried placards and banners asking people to avoid using leather products.

The rallyists shouted slogans against the cruelty meted out to animals.

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