Anup soni rallies for stray animal rights

Jyothi Venkatesh

Anup Soni, joining the movement by actor Ayesha Jhulka for the voiceless, has risen to speak for animals.Asking for each Indian to stand up for the voiceless, he echoed on how each of us needs to be the voice of the voiceless. “It is sheer madness if we do not value the lives of those that cannot fight for their rights," stated the actor when he spoke for better laws and humanity to be the voice of animals.

Animal Welfare Activist Nitesh Khare, Founder and President, SAS India feels that voices like Anup Soni make the difference. "Each of us needs to speak out. It is high time," says Khare. "We need to stop being mute spectators, watching animal cruelty and thinking a comment on Facebook is all it takes to express solidarity."

Ayesha Jhulka, the driving force behind SAS India and the woman responsible for uniting those who can influence to aid those whose voices are silenced, agrees. Jhulka, an actor and animal-rights advocate, recently found her rescued senior Indie, brutally killed at Lonavla by her staff. She is still fighting for justice, as well as stronger laws in our system that have given bail to the killer.

Says Ayesha Jhulka, "the caretaker who killed my Rocky and tried to pass it off as drowning is out on bail. We all saw the inhumanity in Noorie rape. But Rocky and Noorie are merely those that came out. Thousands of others suffer at our hands. We need stringent punishment for putting an end to crimes against animals." Adding that every 15 minutes, a woman in India is raped, Jhulka shudders at the thought of the amount of crimes against the voiceless.

Adds Anusha Srinivasan Iyer, Spokesperson SAS India and the driving force behind Pawsitive Farm Sanctuary, "beastality and rape should be treated equally in the eyes of the law. And cruelty should be very strongly dealt with. Criminals begin by harming the voiceless and escalate to harm our families. Those who stand silent witness to these crimes should understand that they are not safe either. Fighting for animal rights is about fighting for yourselves."