India’s lions and tigers hit by Maharashtra beef ban

Tigers hit by beef ban. Image by Ahmed Rabea / CC BY-SA 2.0

The ban on beef in the Indian state of Maharashtra has now reached the state’s captive lions and tigers. The big cats in the zoo compound in Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai have been switched to a diet of chicken, after the authorities introduced a state-wide ban on the sale of beef to satisfy Hindu hardliners. Many butchers, who traditionally come from the Muslim community, have gone on strike in response to the ban, leading to shortages of meat in shops across the state. Read more: timesofindia.indiatimes.com