PETA India has written to the Union government to close down "illegal" pet shops, breeders, and cracking down on "illegal dogfights" held in many parts of the nation.

PETA made the appeal in a letter to Animal Husbandry Minister Parshottam Rupala, and Animal Welfare Board of India chair OP Chaudhary. The global non-profit also released a footage provided by the Fauna Police, showing lethal injuries that animals sustain in the alleged dogfights.

“The footage shows how dogfighters train pit-bulls, Pakistani bully kutta, and mixed-breed dogs by goading them into killing wild animals,” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said in a statement.

“Puppies are provoked into fighting each other. The fights can leave the dogs so exhausted they can no longer continue or defend themselves. The dogs are encouraged to fight until at least one gets seriously injured or dies," it said.

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‘Illegal to breed’

PETA India's Veterinary Policy Advisor Nithin Krishnegowda said that they have urged the government to join the "effort" to stop dogfights by making it "illegal to breed". "Dogfighters choose secret locations. Anyone who sees or learns of these rings, must be quick to report them to the police," Krishnegowda said.

In India, inciting dogs to fight is illegal under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. However, PETA has claimed that the illegal sport that involves "gambling and operates in secrecy", is predominant in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Jammu.

"Pitbull–type dogs are commonly bred for use in illegal fighting or kept on heavy chains as attack dogs, resulting in a lifetime of suffering. "Many endure painful physical mutilations such as ear-cropping – an illegal process that involves removing part of a dog’s ears to prevent another dog from grabbing them in a fight," PETA India alleged.

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