It is said that the cow is the mother of all civilization. Of
all the images of India, few are more enduring or endearing than
that of the cow, revered by Hindus for its life-giving milk,
roaming free in the city streets. But this postcard picture
belies a darker truth. India is the world’s largest exporter of
leather. And whilst the killing of cows is banned in all but two
states, in the world of the illegal leather trade, animal rights
abuses are rife as the country cashes in on its most sacred
symbol to meet the Western desire for leather. ‘According to
many local council laws, slaughterhouses need to be licensed,’
says Nilesh Bhanage, head of the Plants and Animals Welfare
Society. ‘But many of the slaughterhouses don’t have licences.’
Despite stringent laws in place to protect the rights of
animals, illegal slaughterhouses remain unmonitored and
unregulated. A source from one of India’s leading exporters of
leather handbags to Britain, who asked to remain anonymous,
revealed that illegal leather is commo