PETA to partake in India Bike Week, urge bikers to drop leather

The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has decided to urge the participants of the upcoming India Bike Week (IBW) in Goa to discontinue the use of leather accessories. IBW would start on Friday at Arpora village, where hundreds of bikers and various motorcycle companies are expected to participate.

"The lovely ladies will staff a booth doling out free helmet stickers, bike tail flags, anti-leather buttons and literature urging them to drop leather," PETA said in a press release.

"Bikers are in a position to make difference to animals and the environment every time they choose to leave leather out of their passion for riding," PETA India Youth Outreach Advisor and biker Neha Singh said.

"With so many eco-friendly, stylish options widely available, it's time to put the leather trade to bed," she added.

PETA has expressed concern about cows, buffaloes and other animals which are used for making leather, saying they are often crammed into transport vehicles in such large numbers that their bones break.

"Those who survive the journey to the slaughterhouses have their throats slit in full view of other animals, and many of them are dismembered and killed while they are still conscious," the organization said.

PETA claimed that the leather industry typically ignores even the most basic animal protection laws, and run-off from leather tanneries poisons rivers and streams.