PETA wants you to say no to cow’s milk

With Mother’s Day round the corner, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, India (PETA) volunteers reminding passerby at Prasads Multiplex on Friday that cow’s milk maybe the perfect food, but only for baby cows. Children adorned cute cow costumes and held placards advising the public to revisit their food habits.

“Giving a glass of milk to drink has become every mother’s way of saying ‘good morning’ to her children, promising them health and nutrition. What they do not know, however, is the underlying process of terrible cruelty that is inflicted upon cows and their calves in bringing the milk to their doorstep,” said one PETA activist.

PETA India’s nutritionist, Bhuvaneshwari Gupta from Mumbai, mentioned, “It is not true that milk is only sold after the calves get their share. Male cows are a big no-no in the dairy industry because they will never give milk. They are immediately separated from the mother as no dairy-farmer wastes the milk on male calves when he can sell it and earn money instead. They are starved to death and sold to slaughterhouses or to make leather.”

She added that alternatives to the milk and its products are equally healthy, like soya milk, tofu and vegan cheese. “Dairy farms use Oxytocin, an illegal hormone, on the forcefully impregnated mother cows so they lactate more. This hormone leads to excruciating pain in mother cows. So the best that people can do is to turn vegan,” said Bhuvaneshwari Gupta. She also believes that “It is just that we’ve been doing it for ages, just like other wrong practices like dowry and sati.

There is no better gift that we can give to mother cows and to our own arteries on Mother’s Day than to go vegan.” Dhananjay Saraf, a volunteer, who has been a vegan for the past year-and-a-half said, “Initially it is a tough task and takes time to adapt veganism. But gradually, it becomes fun and changes your lifestyle.” Sirisha and Sripriya, witnesses of the event are still hesitant. “But milk has so many nutrients” said Sirisha, who thinks Veganism is not very practical.