Woman Jailed over Neglect of 191 Dogs

Most of the dogs were kept in crates and cages in a remote Devon field, the court heard - RSPCA
Most of the dogs were kept in crates and cages in a remote Devon field, the court heard - RSPCA
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Woman Jailed over Neglect of 191 Dogs

Most of the dogs were kept in crates and cages in a remote Devon field, the court heard - RSPCA
Most of the dogs were kept in crates and cages in a remote Devon field, the court heard - RSPCA

A woman who kept 191 dogs in "pitiful" conditions in Devon has been jailed.

Diana Curtis, 66, of Peters Marland, had kept the dogs in crates and cages in a remote field near Chittlehamholt and in kennels near Chulmleigh Cross, Exeter Crown Court heard, BBC reported.

Curtis had previously pleaded guilty to seven counts of causing unnecessary suffering to animals.

She was jailed for 25 months and handed a lifetime ban from owning animals.

Two animals had to be put down, while others were found with scars, infected wounds and missing ears, probably caused by fighting, the court was told.

The RSPCA said three other puppies also died because of their ill health.

Sentencing, Judge James Adkin said pictures showed the dogs were in "a truly pitiful condition".

"You put yourself and your own feelings before the animals causing them considerable suffering," he said.

The court heard Curtis moved 99 dogs to a remote field with no water or electricity supply near Chittlehamholt.

Other dogs were kept in kennels in Chulmleigh Cross.

Local farmer Bill Bowen tipped off police because of the noise of the barking animals, the court was told.

RSPCA inspectors said they found dogs kept in cramped conditions standing on top of one another to drink water.

Curtis later turned up in a lorry with another 92 dogs inside, the court heard.

The court heard she had already been banned from keeping animals after being convicted in December 2023 of ill-treating horses, chickens and ducks.

For those offences, she was jailed for 16 weeks, suspended for 12 months, and told to pay £10,000 costs.

Mr Bowen said he spent more than two hours on the phone to police after he and his daughter discovered the dogs in the field.

He said it was a shocking sight to see with many of the dogs looking ill.

"Three days later it snowed really heavily and a lot of those dogs would have died in that snow," Mr Bowen said.



Indian Artisans Tackle Waste with Creative Upcycling

In this photograph taken on September 17, 2024, a person with disability, recycles plastic waste as part of the Avacayam employment program by the Society for Child Development, in New Delhi. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)
In this photograph taken on September 17, 2024, a person with disability, recycles plastic waste as part of the Avacayam employment program by the Society for Child Development, in New Delhi. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)
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Indian Artisans Tackle Waste with Creative Upcycling

In this photograph taken on September 17, 2024, a person with disability, recycles plastic waste as part of the Avacayam employment program by the Society for Child Development, in New Delhi. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)
In this photograph taken on September 17, 2024, a person with disability, recycles plastic waste as part of the Avacayam employment program by the Society for Child Development, in New Delhi. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)

The world's most populous nation India has a waste problem to match, but one group hopes their efforts can inspire change in one of the top polluters of plastic.

At a bustling workshop north of the capital New Delhi, artisan Ram Babu turns a discarded cigarette packet into a papier mache candle, AFP reported.

Babu, a 28-year-old amputee, is among scores of people with disabilities who have been trained to turn "trash to cash" and do their bit for the environment.

"It feels good to work despite my challenging situation," beamed Babu, as he deftly covered the packet with clay, using sprinkles of water.

Life held little hope for Babu after he lost his right hand and leg in a train accident in 2005.

But he found courage again when he stumbled upon the Avacayam employment program, run by the Society for Child Development, a New Delhi-based charity.

The word "Avacayam" comes from Sanskrit, and roughly translates to "gathering flowers".

Avacayam participants turn orange and yellow flowers that were offered in temples and later gathered up into incense sticks and colored powder used widely in festivals.

They also transform fallen idols of Hindu gods and goddesses -- often left piled under sacred trees -- into sacred powder for temple rituals.

"I have been working for more than 14 years now. My life has found a new direction and purpose," said Babu, who earns 10,000 rupees ($120) a month.

Others like Babu make decorative items, bags and pouches out of recycled waste, which is collected every day at their sprawling center.

Plastic bottles are also reused to make a variety of craft products.

The group's efforts scrape the surface.

In India, municipal governments with limited resources often struggle to manage mountains of waste, with towering piles of foul-smelling rubbish littering the edge of New Delhi.

India generates more than 65 million tons of waste in a year, according to a report by The Energy and Resources Institute, a New Delhi-based research group, but only around a fifth is processed and treated.

A study in Nature published this month named India as the largest plastic pollution emitter, producing nearly one-fifth of global plastic emissions.

Global experts -- including the multi-nation "High Ambition Coalition" -- argue the focus must not only be on waste treatment, but urgently required control measures on plastic production itself.

Charity groups such as Avacayam say they set an example, doing what they can.

"We collect waste and trash from offices, homes and factories," said Madhumita Puri, the founder of the Society for Child Development.

"Then we recycle them to make beautiful things which can be enjoyed again."

Puri said the work also helps people with disabilities live a life of dignity.

Abdul Sheikh, whose legs were stunted by polio, had little means of employment until Puri's charity knocked at his door.

"I learnt that day that we should never lose hope in the face of adversities," said Sheikh, 30, who makes decorative papier mache items.

"Now I don't have to depend on others for anything. I don't have legs but today I am standing on my feet."