Saluting all 'animal mothers' on Mother's Day

Jaipur, May 13 (UNI) On the eve of Mother's Day, animal rights Activists have drawn attention on the plight of animal mothers whose babies are are often taken away forcibly from them.

It is not just human mothers who shield their babies from all dangers and pitfalls in life but animal mothers who also take special care to protect their young ones from falling prey to any kind of danger.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an NGO working for animal rights, has put together some heart-rending examples, demonstrating the compassionate relationship between the animal mothers' and their babies.

Recently, a tourist videotaped a dolphin mother grieving for her dead baby, a phenomenon long reported by marine biologists but never documented on film. When a young dolphin dies, the entire pod surrounds the mother and protects her while she grieves.

Dolphin infants are too young to escape from fishing nets and their mothers go to extraordinary lengths to stay with them nearby, even when it means that they too will die.

Kittens and puppies are whisked away from their mothers when they are barely eight weeks old or younger to feed a flourishing trade in 'cute pets' but no one gives a thought to the anxiety and grief it causes the mothers and babies.

A few years ago, a cat named Scarlet made headlines around the world when she risked her life by re-entering a burning building five times to rescue her tiny kittens one by one. Even though her eyes were blistered and her paws burned, Scarlet did not rest until she retrieved all her babies, touching each one with her nose to make sure they were safe.

Cows on dairy farms can often be seen searching and calling for their calfs after they have been taken away.

In United Kingdom, a cow named Blackie and her calf were torn from each other when they were sold separately at an auction. The distraught mother broke out of her stall and went in search of her calf. The next morning, she was found seven miles away at another farm, contentedly sucking her calf. They were identified as mother and son by their matching auction labels still stuck to their rumps.

Even as there is much hype over Mother's Day with marketing gimmicks on the rise, there is hardly any concern or thought for the animal mothers, who have proved to be trendsetting and ultimate mothers.

Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon, taking up the cause, urges all to honour mothers. Stop to consider the plight of animal mothers whose babies are taken away from them every day, she added.

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