A notification issued by the Government of India banning the use of bulls as performing animals has cast a shadow of uncertainty over the adrenaline pumping bullock cart races at the 76th Kila Raipur Games that are slated to kick off at Kila Raipur village in Ludhiana tomorrow. Animal Welfare Board of India, (AWBI), Ministry of Environment and Forests, has written to Subodh Chandra Agrawal, Chief Secretary, Government of Punjab, asking him to ensure bullock cart races are not organised at the Kila Raipur games, also known as mini rural Olympics.

As Hindus gear up to celebrate naag panchami on Thursday, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) today urged them to discourage atrocities against the reptile and report snake charmers to authorities.

"Naag panchami, held in the honour of serpent god Naag Devta, instead of paying tribute to the snakes, becomes a mockery. It is a torture for these fascinating reptiles," PETA India chief functionary Poorva Joshipura said.

Scientific experiments using monkeys should continue in the UK subject to rigorous safeguards, according to a review of research over a 10-year period. But the study, commissioned by the country’s biomedical science funding agencies, found that 9 per cent of research projects using monkeys showed “no clear scientific, medical or social benefit”. “We found that some research projects were unlikely to be beneficial and the claims made for them were implausible,” said Sir Patrick Bateson, president of the Zoological Society of London, who led the review.

Mumbai: In light of the ministry of food and civil supplies’ failure to implement the ban on bullock carts transporting kerosene on Mumbai’s streets despite the government decision two years ago to do so, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Bombay high court.

Testing household products on animals would be banned, under efforts to reduce experimentation on animals unveiled by the government on Monday.

Lynne Featherstone, Home Office minister, announced a consultation on plans to prohibit licences on