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Activists flag risks to community animals under draft lab rules

Activists flag risks to community animals under draft lab rules

Activists from Peedus People warned draft laboratory animal rules could expose community dogs, cats, cows and wildlife to experimentation during a protest at Sector 17 Plaza and Elante Mall in Chandigarh. The campaign was organized by the animal‑welfare organisation Peedus People and took place on Friday in the commercial hubs of Chandigarh, Punjab. Former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi said the proposal could allow animals to be sourced from roads, markets and unregistered establishments, while PETA India warned the draft may permit experiments on community animals and the capture of wild species under vague scientific justification. Veterinarian Dr Manish Rathee cautioned that the rules could enable backyard breeding, illegal capture and abandonment of community animals, and Sahil Sharma, president of Salute The Trees, said “Animals are living, sentient beings, not laboratory commodities to be exploited in the name of scientific progress.” The draft seeks to replace the 1968 and 1998 rules, with November 5 set as the last date for filing objections to the Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CCSEA).

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