Request To Indian People From Vegetarians Of World

Author(s): Young Indian Vegetarians
Publisher: Young Indian Vegetarians

Page 45

people. India has allocated one and a half million dollars for rat-extermination programmes.
In November 1977, my Mother Lady Dowding, as President of the National Anti-vivisection Society was invited by Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale, Chairman of the Indian Government's Animal Welfare Board, to address their Third National Conference in New Dehil. There she had discussions with Prime Minister Desai, a fellow vegetarian, who agreed to Lady Dowding's request to ban India's export of monkeys, painted finches and frog's legs. Despite the announcement that the trade in frogs' legs would be stopped, only the ban on the export of monkeys for experiments has been implemented, which incidentally is still enforced.
During 1977-79, whilst again in India on a wide range of animal welfare and conservation issues, I had discussions concerning the trade in frogs' legs with the Prime Minister. However, the short-term commercial pressure were so strong that no action could be enforced to save India's ecology and resulting hardship to its people from this cruel trade. In April 1983, the Animal Welfare Board declined to publish my reports on trade in frogs' legs and commented "it is not desirable for us to publish an article on such sensitive subjects".
India has so devastated its own wild frog population that Bangladesh has taken over, as the largest exporter of frogs' legs, exporting some 1,300 tonnes-42% of total exports to the largest importer the USA. The Netherlands took 39% of Bangladesh's total exports.
The Dutch are the second largest importers of frogs' legs, taking 1,048 tonnes in 1982, 303 tonnes from India. China who used to supply both an internal and external demand, has banned the sale of frogs after their importance in controlling rice pests was revealed.
Britain's imports increased to 109.6 tonnes of frogs' legs in 1983. In May 1984, the BBC showed some of my film of the cruelty involved in the frogs' legs trade. The showing of this film launched a national and international campaign to ban the import of frogs' legs.
The success of the campaign so far is that a major American-owned food chain and two importers, as well as many retail outlets, have stopped selling frogs' legs in the UK.
Questions have been raised for me in Parliament and a resolution has been tabled in the European Parliament calling for a ban on the import of frogs' legs into European Community (EEC). I have asked my friend the Deputy High Commissioner to express our concern over the cruel trade in frogs' legs.
In England we are circulating petitions opposing the cruel and destructive trade in frogs' legs. Already, and in only a few weeks, we have 35,000 signatures. A presentation and protest will be made to the Goverment in 1985.
On the Occasion of the Gandhi Birthday celebration I had the privilege of meeting the new High Commissioner for India, Shri Prakash Mehotre, and his charming wife-what a wonderful example for statesmanship they set. They are vegetarians and very talented singers. They shared my concern and I hope they will also express the growing anxiety over India's continued involvement in this cruel trade. Regrettably, their stay in England is only very short.