Celina Jaitly, the socially conscious beauty queen and Bollywood star, sent bouquets and a card recently to the Commissioner of Police Shri Satyapal Singh and DCP (Special Branch) Shri R.P. Sengaonkar who have been instrumental in banning the use of horses, elephants and camels into the city of Pune.

Thank you for standing up for those who cannot speak for themselves, Celina wrote in the card. All of us from PETA appreciate your efforts and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Anuradha Sawhney of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says, Humane people around the world are watching India’s treatment of animals. We applaud the Pune officers for taking action and urge other officers to do so, too.

Why are Celina and PETA happy about the ban? Horses who are forced to pull carts in the sweltering heat on the crowded streets of Pune and other cities live a miserable life. They are forced to pull oversized loads and must try to dodge cars, taxis and bicycles. It is not unusual for horses to suffer from untreated injuries, and most horses never see a veterinarian in their lifetime.

Elephants are a common sight on roads and outside temples in the city of Pune typically with a mahout astride the animal, poking a painful ankush behind his sensitive ears to keep him moving in the confusing and alien traffic of cars, his ears assaulted by the cacophony of horns and urban noises, his tender feet made to walk on the scorching-hot, pothole-ridden roads. The methods used to control elephants are very cruel and cause a threat to the mahouts as well. Hands-on training requires absolute domination of elephants by their keepers, which can only be achieved by inflicting pain on the animals with an ankus or iron and wooden sticks and then reinforcing the threat of more pain.

Across Pune, camels have been taken out of their desert homes and forced to pull carts and carry people for ‘entertainment’. Joyride operators often ignore the animals’ most basic needs. Camels are housed with no shelter from the elements and are not provided adequate food. The animals are forced to carry riders all day long in the blazing sun with few rest or water breaks. Many become emaciated, exhausted and ill. Camels are forced to carry heavy and ill-fitting saddles that chafe and leave them with sores, which are typically concealed from tourists with decorations. The joyride operators ignore the animals’ distress and provide them with no veterinary care. Left untreated, the galls grow progressively more painful and often develop into acute infections. According to a news report, the “demand for the camels who are transported from Rajasthan to Pune for giving joyrides, goes up during festivals, not being able to survive the drastic change in living conditions, however, they soon weather away making way for next lot”

Whether it is a human or an animal Celina is always there for the needy.