Stop using pugs in advertisements, PETA urges Vodafone
Mumbai: Animal welfare organisation PETA India on Monday requested telecom company Vodafone to stop using pugs in its advertisement, saying that the "not normal dogs" are always in pain.
In a letter to Vodafone India Ltd CEO Sunil Sood, the PETA said that the pugs are genetically compromised species with exagerated features developed to look cute but this that cause them constant pain including difficulty in breathing.
A recent Vodafone ad featured about 30 pugs.
"These dogs have become popular in India, thanks largely to your commercials, and are purchased by people who are usually unaware that they're severely compromised genetically by being bred for unnatural traits, such as tiny flat noses, bulging eyes, and folds of skin," People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) CEO Manilal Valliyate said in a letter.
Asking Vodafone to pass a policy prohibiting the use of animals, including pugs, in its advertising, he said that animals like pugs are used in entertainment where they they often become frightened and overwhelmed by the chaos, loud noises, bright lights, and countless retakes on film sets.
While the pugs typically face issues like dental disease, spinal deformities, intolerance of exercise, chronic irritation, pain, skin infection and eye problems, like lagophthalmos, or an inability to close the eyelid completely or to blink properly causing drying of the central cornea, he said they also have "an especially hard time in the heat... in India's climate - and are susceptible to suffering from heatstroke and to collapsing and dying in high temperatures".
"As a veterinarian and the CEO of PETA India, I'm writing to you on behalf of our more than 10 lakh members and supporters to urge you to stop using pugs in your advertising," he said in his letter.
PETA said that unaware of their pain and several possible medical conditions, people often buy pugs and in many case later dump them.
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7 killed after bus overturns in Jharkhand's Hazaribag
Hazaribag (Jharkhand), Nov 21: At least seven people were killed and several others injured on Thursday, after a Patna-bound bus overturned in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district, police said.
The accident occurred near Gorhar Police Station area, around 50 km from the district headquarters, as the bus turned turtle while negotiating a sharp bend, a senior officer said.
Hazaribag SP Arvind Kumar Singh told PTI seven persons were killed, while some suffered serious injuries.
There were around 50 passengers in the bus, which was on way to Patna from Kolkata, another officer said.
Motichand Prasad, a passenger, said his wife Rajkumari Prasad was killed in the accident.
"We were asleep when the accident occurred in the morning. We boarded the bus in Kolkata on Wednesday for Bihar," Prasad, a resident of Bihar's Gopalganj, said.
Another passenger from Bihar Sharif, Ganesh Kumar, said the incident took place around 6 am.
"As the driver tried to negotiate a sharp bend, he lost control over the bus and the vehicle overturned," Kumar said.
A police officer present on the spot said around 10 injured people were in critical condition.
Sub-divisional Police Officer (SPDO), Barhi, Ajit Kumar, said only three bodies could be identified so far – Rajkumari Prasad (55), Niti Samanta (25) and Ejaz Ahmed (40).
“Four other bodies are kept at the morgue of Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College and Hospital (SBMCH) at Hazaribag for identification,” he said.
Three critically injured persons were referred to Ranchi’s RIMS, while the others were being treated at SBMCH.
In a separate incident under the same police station area, two youths were crushed to death by a bus coming from behind.
The deceased were identified as Amit Kumar and Pappu Kumar, who were on a motorcycle when the bus struck the vehicle, an officer said.
