AMARAVATI: On Monday, Andhra Pradesh's Bapatla district police confiscated more than 400 kilograms of donkey meat.

The flesh was taken during police raids on an illegal donkey meat trade with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and local organizations in the early morning.

Following a complaint from PETA India, the Bapatla police conducted four searches in the Bapatla district and recovered more than 400 kg of donkey meat in a joint operation with PETA India and local activists from Andhra Pradesh.

The raids included Vijay Kishore Palika of the East Godavari SPCA, Tejovanth Anupoju of the Help for Animals Society, and Gopal Surabathula of the Animal Rescue Organization.

The police conducted raids at two places in Uzilipet, one in Vetapalem, and one that was under the purview of the 2 Town police station. Donkey meat and leftover body parts, such as heads, legs, and flesh attached to tails, were taken by the police.

FIR's have been registered by 1 Town police station, 2 Town police station, and Vetapalem police station under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960; and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. All persons involved in the illegal trade and slaughter have also been detained.

Donkeys are known as sensitive animals who form deep bonds with their families and friends and communicate with each other through a different of sounds. Yet in Andhra Pradesh, these animals are being hacked up for meat, says PETA India Manager of Cruelty Response Projects Meet Ashar.

PETA India is urging people to eat vegan and to show compassion for all animals by reporting cases of illegal donkey slaughter to the authorities. Accordingly, over the past seven years, there have been 61 fewer donkeys in India. According to PETA, it's against the law to kill donkeys and consume their meat.

Donkey slaughter is illegal under Section 429 of the IPC, 1860, and is sanctioned by a maximum five-year prison sentence, a fine, or both. The PCA Act of 1960's Sections 11(1)(a) and (l) make killing donkeys a crime as well.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001 forbid the slaughter of animals in public areas, while the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 forbids the consumption of donkey flesh.

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