This month also brought two exciting examples of Animal Rahat’s efforts to work in concert with the police force to help animals. When Animal Rahat learned that a bull race was scheduled in Bhalwani, the team immediately contacted the police. Animal Rahat staff convinced the officers to enforce the new law that bans bull races. When bull owners began to gather, Animal Rahat and the police were there. Together, they shut the race down before it could begin!

In addition, Animal Rahat organized a workshop attended by police inspectors from every police station in Sangli to review India’s cruelty prevention laws and the ways in which these laws are commonly defied at working animals’ expense. As a result, in the first action of its kind, the district superintendent of police requested materials from Animal Rahat to display in police stations regarding the enforcement of anti-cruelty statutes, and he personally requested that the officers make a special effort to intervene whenever they see working animals treated illegally. If you know the police in India, this is a huge victory!

This type of educational outreach to law enforcement is a first. A follow-up meeting with the district superintendent of police is already scheduled to take place in two months. Animal Rahat looks forward to conducting more of these workshops and nurturing this relationship with law-enforcement officers—it holds such promise for a better future for animals.