Achievements 1975-1980

To date, every year since its inception, BWC has achieved some thing! To see ALL our Achievements please click here.

 

With specific goals in mind Beauty Without Cruelty has sincerely carried out its work, however kept a low profile. Most tasks undertaken have been difficult, often seemed impossible to achieve, but frustration has never made the organization give up even when implementation was stalled. Sticking to the facts, a persistent follow-up and constantly looking for new ways to achieve its aims has led BWC to success in many instances.

 

Our Achievements between 1975 and 1980 are:


1980


Dog Leather Project Abandoned

In 1980 BWC was shocked to learn that the Municipal Corporation of Chennai had begun flaying, tanning and selling the skin of stray dogs destroyed. Considerable anti-publicity generated widely by BWC resulted in them passing off the skins simply as leather although they went on to export skins of cats, porcine, rats, etc. Years later it was abandoned.

 

 

Export of Doves Banned

BWC strongly backed the Jain community’s objections to doves being included in the list of birds permitted to be exported from India in 1980. As a result of protest letters and telegrams to the Government, doves were taken off the list by the end of the year.

 


1979


Turtles No Longer in a Soup

In 1979 armed with first hand photographic evidence, BWC exposed the capture of turtles turned over on their backs on the hot sand in order to immobilise them at Digha and other beaches off the east coast of India in Orissa. But the ban on their consumption (they were transported live to cities where they were clandestinely sold to be converted into traditional Bengali dishes) was not effectively implemented till years later when again based on first hand information of illegal trade provided by BWC, successful raids were carried out in 1990 at Kolkata’s New Market and New Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park.

 

 

1978


Polyester Silky Brocade

The first polyester brocade/zari saree in silky finish woven on hand-loom by weavers in Varanasi was the result of 4 years research by BWC. Despite this know-how being available since 1978 due to the reluctance on the part of weavers and insufficient public demand, the sarees are not commercially available.

 

Award from Reader’s Digest for Best Advertisement

The advertisement campaign BWC undertook in 1978 captioned “Pretty, isn’t it?” won the prestigious Reader’s Digest Pegasus Award for highlighting animal exploitation.

 

1977


Compassionate Friend Magazine

BWC’s quarterly journal Compassionate Friend was first published in January 1977. Distributed free to all members, it is the only animal rights magazine in India which contains unexaggerated and factual information. In 1998 the IInd All India House Journal Competition organized by the Mayaram Surjan Foundation (DNA Group) presented BWC with their Special Award in the category of publications for Non-Governmental Organizations.

 

Monkey Exports Banned

In 1977, the Rt Hon Muriel, Lady Dowding, the founder of the Beauty Without Cruelty movement, met the then Prime Minister Mr Morarji Desai in New Delhi and requested him to ban the export of monkeys as they were being subjected to intense cruelty in American and other foreign research laboratories.

 

Export of Painted Finches Banned

BWC pointed out to the Government in 1977 that for export painted finches were literally being painted with harmful dyes. Such exports were immediately stopped.

 

1976


Trade in Snake Skin Ends

In 1976 BWC began creating an awareness of the cruelties inflicted upon reptiles for their skins. Evidence of snakes skinned alive, and crocodiles illegally captured for obtaining leather used for luxury items was condemned by BWC. Products like wallets and belts made from non-animal materials that looked like monitor lizard, python skin, etc. were promoted by BWC. BWC’s plea to stop trade in reptile skins was granted when 1980 onwards, all types of snakes were given protection under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

 
 

Crocodile Farming not Permitted

In India crocodile breeding started as a conservation measure and turned out to be over-successful, but as crocodiles were not released into the wild as originally planned and breeding was not halted (even after 1981 on a directive from the Union Ministry of Environment & Forests) vested interests wanted permission to “harvest” their skins to make ladies’ shoes and handbags, wallets, belts, watch straps, and such vanity items. BWC strongly objected and has obtained periodic assurances from the Government of India that crocodile farming will never be permitted.

 
 

1975


List of Honour published

On the basis of information gathered from manufacturers, BWC came out with its very first edition of the List of Honour containing names of cosmetics and toilet preparations manufactured in India which were free of animal substances and not tested by means of experiments upon animals.