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Campaign launched against ill-effects of leather

Moving appeal: The sand sculpture made by Sudarshan Pattanaik in collaboration with PETA, at the Puri Beach on Tuesday.

BHUBANESWAR: International animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on Tuesday invited acclaimed sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik to launch a campaign against the harm caused by leather to the world environment.

Pattnaik carved a 10 ft high sand sculpture on the Puri beach depicting a polar bear crushed by a shoe with a slogan coined by PETA – ‘Your carbon footprints have leather shoes’.

The artist took 10 hours to carve the sculpture through which PETA-India aimed to illustrate the environmental harm caused by the leather industry.

PETA, which has been a strong advocate in discouraging people from using leather as leather production is devastating to the environment, also intended to people’s attention to the harmful effects of global warming on endangered and dwindling species of polar bear.

“The energy consumed and pollution produced by the leather industry makes it a leading factor in global warming, which is endangering polar bears and their habitat,” said PETA Campaigns Manager N.G. Jayasimha.

“Consumers can save polar bears and cows at the same time by giving leather products the boot,” he added.

According to Mr. Jayasimha, the leather and meat industry in India has caused serious damage to the local ecology. For decades now, the wastewater from tanneries and abattoirs has been discharged without any kind of treatment.

“Consequently, local water bodies located near tanneries and abattoirs have been severely polluted. Solid waste, mostly flesh and innards, have often been dumped in the open contaminating both surface water and groundwater. The chemicals from leather tanneries have rendered much farmland useless,” Mr. Jayasimha said.

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