PETA India promotes veganism in Kochi to highlight environmental sustainability

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India organised a campaign on Thursday, ahead of Earth Day on April 22, to urge residents of the port city to "go vegan by eliminating foods derived from animals".

The NGO, in a statement issued on Friday, said its supporters dressed in inflatable dinosaur costumes and held signs that read, "Eat Like It’s the 21st Century! Please Go Vegan!" and "Happy Earth Day!" to encourage Kochi residents to replace animal-derived foods with plant-based options.

The NGO argued that "raising animals for food is a leading cause of environmental degradation, requiring massive amounts of land, energy, and water while emitting enormous quantities of greenhouse gases".

"PETA India urges the public to help the planet, animals, and themselves by choosing vegan foods," it said in the statement.

It further claimed that meat, egg, and dairy production contribute significantly to pollution, ocean dead zones, habitat destruction due to land use, and species extinction.

According to PETA, animal husbandry uses one-third of the world’s freshwater resources and, by some estimates, generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all of the world’s transportation systems combined.

Researchers at the University of Oxford found that every person who goes vegan reduces their food-related carbon footprint by up to 73 per cent, making it conceivably the single biggest way to reduce one’s negative impact on the planet, the statement added.

Going vegan also benefits animals, as PETA India claimed that chickens used for eggs are confined to cages so small they cannot even spread their wings; cows and buffaloes are packed into vehicles in such large numbers that their bones often break before they are dragged to the slaughterhouse; and pigs are stabbed in the heart during slaughter.

"On fishing boats, fish suffocate or are cut open while still alive. Newborn male chicks in the egg industry are ground up, burned, or buried alive since they cannot lay eggs, alongside other unwanted chicks, while male calves in the dairy industry are commonly abandoned, left to starve, or killed because they cannot produce milk," the PETA India statement claimed.

Additionally, going vegan offers health benefits by reducing the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, the statement claimed.

PETA India also mentioned that it offers a free vegan starter kit for those ready to switch their dietary habits.