The India chapter of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) is planning a new vegan campaign along the lines of the one that the Indian government runs to fix the skewed gender ratio in the country.
Called the "Save The Boy Child," the campaign is expected to hit colleges across the country in an effort to promote veganism.
One notable aspect of the campaign is the slogan's similarity to the Indian government's "Save The Girl Child" campaign, which was aimed at certain states in India where the child sex ratio is extremely skewed.
This happens due to female foeticide, which in itself is fuelled by an inclination in certain sections of society towards the male child.
Why 'Save The Boy Child'?
According to an official release from Peta India, the campaign aims to "inform students of the cruelty inflicted on male chicks and calves in the egg and dairy industries."
It also said: "The campaign will feature informative posters, leaflet distribution, and a screening of a short video showing how these male animals – deemed 'worthless' because of their inability to produce eggs or milk – are discarded and killed, and it will encourage students to go vegan."
Peta India CEO Manilal Valliyate was quoted by the release as saying: "Because male babies can't be used for profit by the cruel egg and dairy industries as their subjugated female counterparts are, they're typically chucked out like trash or killed. Peta India is calling on young people to condemn this cruelty and go vegan."
Harrowing footage
The Peta India campaign is accompanied by a video that claims to show the fate of male chicks and calves.
The organisation said in its statement that the footage, obtained "from inside several Indian hatcheries," shows "male and other unwanted chicks are commonly killed by being ground up, drowned, burned, crushed, suffocated, or even fed to fish while still alive by the egg and meat industries."
It also said male calves are often "abandoned in the streets, left to starve, or sent for slaughter."
Here is the video that accompanies the campaign:
[Warning: Graphic Video, viewer discretion advised]
