PETA India has written to Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi asking him to allow us to put the covered Uttar Pradesh elephant statues to good use. While the statues are covered, PETA India would like to put banners on them that read, "Cover-Up by the Big Top: Elephants in the Circus Are Beaten and Shackled". Here is a mock-up of what the banner would look like on a covered elephant statue.

This high-profile "cover-up" would help expose the cruelty to animals that circuses work hard to cover up. When they're not being forced to perform meaningless tricks that are confusing to them, elephants used in circuses are kept shackled. These majestic creatures are trained through beatings and the fear of physical punishment. Circuses are no fun for other animals either. Birds used in circuses often have their wings clipped, which prevents them from engaging in their most important natural behaviour: flying. Horses are often kept tethered with short ropes, and dogs are locked in cages.

PETA India Chief Functionary Poorva Joshipura wrote, "The covering of the statues and party symbols has caught the attention of people around the globe. By allowing us to place these banners on the elephant statues, you would help us encourage people worldwide to boycott circuses, thereby helping countless animals whose pain goes unnoticed. Supporting us in this good deed may also help to quiet those who have criticised the move to cover the statues. It would be a win-win situation".

Would you like to see the elephant statues being used this way?

Late one evening in a village in Maharashtra, a terrified hyena was running to escape a pack of street dogs when she tumbled into a well that was not visible to her in the darkness and plunged 50 feet down to the bottom. She had evaded the dogs, but now she was banged up and hopelessly trapped.

A man happened to witness the hyena's fall, and he jumped into action, calling Animal Rahat, our affiliate working in the Sangli district of Maharashtra, for help. Animal Rahat promptly sent a rescue team, which quickly hatched a plan. The team lowered a large net and, after several tries, was able to scoop up the hyena and pull the scared little animal to safety.

Members of the team took the hyena to the Rajiv Gandhi Rehabilitation Centre to be checked for injuries and treated. After nearly two months of rehabilitation, the rescued hyena ate her last meal in captivity and was released back into the jungle. The area where she stepped out of her transfer cage was close to where she was found. The local forest department reported that more than a dozen hyenas—possibly from the rescued hyena's clan—are known to live in the area.

Hyenas can hear the calls of their clan from more than 2 miles away when they become separated, so it's possible that her family members heard her cries and were anxious for her safe return. 

Well done, Animal Rahat! If you would like to support their hard work for animals, please visit AnimalRahat.com and make a donation to help them help animals.

Bulls who are punched, wrestled to ground and hit with fists during the cruel sport of jallikattu have found new friends in the Irish animal rights group Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN).

After learning that despite the Indian government's ban on the use of bulls as performing animals, the Madras High Court Bench gave permission for the cruel bull-abusing contact game jallikattu to be held in Tamil Nadu, the founder of ARAN fired off a letter to the Indian Minister of Tourism. In the letter, he said that ARAN plans to place "Incredible Cruelty" advertisements across European cities calling for a boycott of Indian tourism until the cruel bull-abusing contact game jallikattu is put to an end.

John Carmody, the founder of ARAN, wrote: "India's reputation for treating animals with the utmost compassion and care is a major draw for almost everyone who is considering visiting your beautiful country. How can that image endure when a state government endorses an activity in which terrified bulls are surrounded by hundreds of shouting men, are hit with fists, have their tails twisted and pulled – and some even snapped and broken – and are jumped on and wrestled to the ground?"

PETA India and its affiliates around the world have been protesting against the cruelty of jallikattu and urging the Ministry of Environment and Forests to enforce the ban on jallikattu.

So, what do you think about ARAN's campaign?

Were you a part of the most happening and animal-friendly new year's party in Goa? If not, here's what you missed: mind-blowing music played by the likes of Nikhil Chinnapa and DJ Pearl, a mad crowd dancing their backsides off, DJs throwing petaDishoom's stylish and super-cool T-shirts and people vying to grab them. Wow! It was awesome.

The three-day party madness took off with sundown sessions at the Zanzi Bar by the Baga Beach, where the mind-blowing psychedelic and electro-music played by the DJs made people go wild, forget all inhibitions and just dance. To keep the party spirit high, this was followed by trance music parties at the best clubs in Goa, Tito's and then Red Square, on New Year's Eve.

The party animals poured in to check out petaDishoom's information table to help animals in need. Besides signing our petition to get the draft Animal Welfare Act passed, many of them made a new year's resolution to help animals.

Thank you, Submerge Goa Project, for combining fun with helping animals. This was definitely the best way to kick start 2012.

Here are the Khan sisters like you've never seen them before! Models-turned-actors Gauahar and Nigaar Khan recently posed wearing zebra-striped bodysuits for a PETA and UTV Bindass ad to highlight the cruelty of zoos. The ad was shot by ace photographer Gaurav C Bhat, and the outfits were designed and styled by Hazel Paul. You can watch the Khan sisters' PETA shoot at  7 PM on 28 January on UTV Bindass.

The Khan sisters said, "We as living creatures love our freedom, and animals are no different. If people want to see animals, a zoo is not the best place. Instead, animals should be observed in their natural habitat like animal reserves, where they are living the life that they were meant to live. If we can't manage to visit them, we can learn about these amazing wild animals by watching videos, television programmes or by reading about them on the Internet or in books and magazines, and that's what we, the Khan sisters, are hoping the audience would understand."

We thank the duo for the support. You, too, can help animals who are imprisoned in zoos and often denied everything that is natural and important to them by pledging to boycott zoos! Please also join the campaign for animal rights by signing up for our Activist Network. 

Garnering an overwhelming public response, generating headlines and inspiring numerous celebrity tweets, PETA India's Hottest Vegetarian contest couldn't have been more successful. So hold your breath – the verdict is in!

We proudly present to you PETA's Hottest Vegetarians of 2011 (drum roll, please). The winners are Mallika Sherawat and Dhanush! Other top competitors included Sonu Sood, Shahid Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini and Kareena Kapoor.

Dhanush, who created a kolaveri across the country and abroad when millions of people went bonkers over his song "Why This Kolaveri Di?", is also a sweetheart to animals. He says, "Being a vegetarian always made me feel healthy. I've always felt light. Every time I sit down to eat, I'm helping the environment".

The winner in the female category, Mallika Sherawat, the mallika of Bollywood, has a sexy body that makes many go red with envy, but the secret to her fabulous figure is a green diet. Mallika, who is a vegan, says that the best part about being a vegetarian is having a "clear conscience".

All we can say is that there's nothing sexier than someone who exudes passion and compassion – and our winners have plenty of both. What say you?

Thank you to all the people who voted for their favourite stars. Keep visiting our website for more interesting contests and to find out how you can win cool prizes.

The winners were chosen by PETA India on the basis of the following equally considered factors: the total number of votes each celebrity received, each celebrity's potential to reach a large audience and PETA India's assessment of each celebrity's attractiveness.

Win a cool PETA T-shirt autographed by Anoushka Shankar. The world-renowned sitarist, who is currently in India to perform, is a dear friend to animals. Anoushka has appeared in a PETA ad with her father, Ravi Shankar, calling on the Indian government to strengthen animal protection laws. She also recently appeared in a PETA ad speaking out against cruelty in zoos.

Want to win? It's pretty simple! You just have to comment on this blog and tell us what you think is the best way to learn about animals without cruelly imprisoning them in zoos. The three answers we deem to be most interesting will win a T-shirt.

This contest is open until 20 February 2012. The winners will be announced on 24 February 2012 and notified via e-mail. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. By commenting, you're agreeing to PETA India's terms and conditions and privacy policy.

Join Anoushka in boycotting zoos. PETA's investigation of zoos across India has shown that countless animals live in concrete and iron cages that do not have any enrichment or even a blade of grass. Some cages are so small that they restrict the animals' natural movements.

Long before her hilarious and candid debut novel about a Pakistani-American family started making waves across the country, author Jabeen Akthar  made waves with PETA US. Yep, that's right, we knew her first! A former "Tiger Lady" who bared her stripes in a PETA US circus protest, Jabeen is now a member of PETA US's Regulatory Testing Division. Recently, we sat down with our old pal to talk shop about her new book, her thoughts on animal rights and much more.

Tell us about your book.

Welcome to Americastan follows a young Pakistani-American named Samira Tanweer, who, through a series of misadventures, learns her name is on the FBI's terrorist watch list. After losing her job and losing her boyfriend to her best friend, Samira returns to her dysfunctional family in North Carolina to make sense of what happened to her life. The novel is a snapshot of life in the US for typical Pakistani-Americans. It addresses serious topics such as racism, assimilation, failure and generational differences, but in the end, I just hope it makes people laugh.

Do you also write about animal rights?

My involvement in animal rights is the most important aspect of who I am, so it will always find its way into my writing. There is a scene in Welcome to Americastan in which Samira goes to a party full of Muslims and criticizes the practice of slaughtering lambs during the Muslim festival of Eid. I've been asked repeatedly if Muslims are offended by this scene. On the contrary, lots of compassionate young Muslims have been thanking me for putting it out there.

Tell us about how you got involved with animal rights.

I've been around forever. I was a PETA US volunteer back when the organization had a single office in an old warehouse! It all started with a PETA US newsletter in the 1980s. There was a black and white photo of a cow on the ground, her eyes wide and terrified. She was a "downed" factory farm cow who had been kicked in the face, ribs and back repeatedly by farm workers. Not only was this story devastating to read, it also shook my entire worldview and marked the beginning of my journey to change how we view and treat animals. I shared the newsletter with my family, and we stopped eating meat overnight and never looked back.

What inspired you to go vegan?

In the 80s and early 90s, being a vegetarian animal rights activist was considered hardcore. The concept of veganism hadn't reached the mainstream. For many years, I was under the false impression that I was doing enough by not eating meat. I soon couldn't deny that I was contributing to the meat industry as much as any meat-eater by continuing to eat dairy products and eggs, so I rid my diet of those products altogether. It's awesome – I'm savings animals by being vegan, and my diet has never been more diverse and exciting. And going vegan is a downright blast – check out my new favorite vegan chef. 

What do you do for PETA US, and what does the department you work for do?

As a former US government employee, I found the perfect home in PETA US's Regulatory Testing Division – a team of highly credentialed and dedicated scientists and researchers who push the US government as well as international organizations to develop and use incredibly effective and sophisticated non-animal testing methods in their testing programs. I manage research projects by helping the team navigate through complex federal regulations, help publish research articles in scientific journals, and generally keep the department running as smoothly as possible given the heavy workloads our scientists have.

What achievement are you most proud of in your work for animals?

So much of what we do for animals is teamwork, so I can't take credit for any one thing. Over the years, I've participated in numerous campaigns that closed fur stores, saved animals from painful and lethal experiments, and banned gestation crates for factory-farmed pigs. On a regular basis, I look out for injured wildlife on the roads and get them medical treatment, and I have rescued countless stray cats. Most importantly, by just showing people the video "Meet Your Meat" and fixing them yummy vegan meals, I've helped a lot of people go vegetarian and vegan!

What would you say are some of the most pressing issues regarding animal experimentation in India?

I'm pleased to see Indian educational bodies like the University Grants Commission and the Pharmacy Council of India finally embracing sophisticated non-animal teaching methods in the classrooms. No student should ever have to use an animal for dissection or research when there are so many alternatives available. In the US, some states even have laws protecting the rights of students who refuse to dissect. It's also time to see cosmetics testing on animals banned in India – something we've already seen happen in the European Union. With India's booming economy and growing presence on the world stage, there's no reason it should fall behind the West in moving away from animal experimentation and toward cheaper, more efficient and humane methods.  

Anything else you'd like to add?

I knew a girl in college who constantly debated my views on animal rights and said my activism was a waste of time. Fifteen years later, I see her running toward me at an animal rights conference with a T-shirt that says, "Vegan," and she tells me I'm the reason she's there. I'm still not sure what I ever did or said to make her change her mind, but the bottom line is this: you never know whom you're encouraging to help animals, so don't give up on anyone!

John Abraham sure has a golden heart when it comes to animals. This desi boy has been a long-time supporter of PETA India, so it's no surprise that when he learned about the plight of bulls who are abused for jallikattu, he sprang into action.

Even though the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) made jallikattu illegal by banning the use of bulls as performing animals, the Madras High Court Bench gave permission for jallikattu to be held in Tamil Nadu. John recently fired off a letter to Minister of Environment and Forests Jayanthi Natarajan to urge her Ministry to enforce the ban.

John wrote, "As an actor, I choose to perform, but animals used for jallikattu and bull races don't. During jallikattu, bulls are deliberately terrorised and made to suffer for entertainment. They are taunted by crowds, pushed, hit and wrestled to the ground. During bull races, the animals are often beaten with nail-studded sticks".

Thanks, John! PETA has held demonstrations on the streets of Delhi and Chennai to highlight the urgent need to enforce the ban on jallikattu. Bulls need you to speak up for them. Support John by taking a moment to write to the Ministry.

Everyone carries a handbag, but you can carry a piece of art! If you are bored with identical-looking factory-made bags and prefer creative, out-of-the-box designs, Canvas Creations has a lot to offer you!

Canvas Creations was started by an artist father and his two marketing-savvy daughters. They are raising the bar of creativity in the bag industry by crafting sturdy canvas bags that are hand-painted by artists.

And best of all, the bags are absolutely vegan and cruelty-free. Renowned artist and owner of Canvas Creations Bijit Mukherjee says, "Canvas Creations believes in playing with paint and not with blood". Hear hear, Mr Mukherjee!

Enter to win one of these snazzy handbags by telling us your favourite places to shop for leather-free goods? Send us your entries by commenting below.

The contest is open until 5 February 2012. A winner will be chosen based on PETA India’s determination of the usefulness of your answer to other people and will be informed via e-mail by 7 February 2012. By commenting below, you are agreeing to our privacy policy and terms and conditions. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.