Animals in showbiz: Say no to abuse

Exploitation of animals is not something unheard of in the world of showbiz, but efforts are underway in India to streamline a process that is transparent and eradicates the involvement of middlemen in the business.

The Producers Guild of India (PGI) and Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) have come together to set up an online approval system for the use of animals in films and television shows.

Kulmeet Makkar, CEO of PGI, said, "Animals need to be taken good care of during the shoot and during their performance. The fact is that when in a children's show or film, a child is performing, their parents are always present on the set of the film to look after them and to protect them.

We want a similar thing for animals and that is why the active involvement of the animal owners is required."

As per the new process, an animal owner can contact a film producer to know the requirement, day of the shoot, intensity and nature of the performance, et al.

Once they have the details, the owner can make an application of permission to the AWBI.

Within 48 hours, the owner will get a clearance of pre-shoot permission if all the required documents are submitted. Once the shooting starts within 24 hours, the producer will get a no objection certificate from the Board.

Also, all the animal owners who wish to use their animals for shoots, have to register themselves under AWBI before May 31. Makkar said that earlier, there was no timeline to get permission from AWBI and so, the animal owners had to wait for long to get a NOC.

"By the time the letter would reach them, producers would suffer because the shooting would get delayed. Taking advantage of the situation, there was a group of people, you can call them middlemen, would come in and charge money to bring animals.

Those animal suppliers would not take care of animals because there is no emotional connection they have with the animal, like a parent. The animal suffers that way.

Our online process will eliminate the middleman and make the process more transparent," he added.