New Delhi, Aug. 29 : Activists of People for Ethical Treatment of Animal (PETA) staged a protest outside Central Zoo Authority (CZA) in the Capital on Thursday.

There were just two members representing PETA, who wanted to draw attention and express fury at the recent incidents in which a leopard died in the zoo and two bears were killed by poachers for their bile inside the Rangapahar wildlife sanctuary in Nagaland.

During the protest, one of the PETA members disguised himself in the attire of a bear and lay in a coffin with sign board above it reading "Un ''Bear'' able cruelty-Zoo''s are death traps".

"We have decided to protest today outside Central Zoo Authority because people generally believe that animals are very happy staying in a zoo, which is not true. Wild animals should be set free in their natural surroundings. And all these incidents of killing of animals in zoo and the recent incident of deaths of two bears in Nagaland has forced us to stage a protest today," said Sachin Bangheria, one of the protestors and PETA member.

It may be recounted that apart from these deaths, there have been reports of a couple of felines having died at the animal rescue centres where these creatures are meant to be looked after with utmost care.

On their part, Central Zoo Authorities officials contended that the zoo protects the species from extinction and most of the deaths in the zoo live in natural surrounding.

The PETA insisted the view that the zoos were no more safe places to live for animals.

With more than 2.0 million members and supporters PETA is the largest animal rights organization in the world.

It focuses on four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in laboratories, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment industry. We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of beavers, birds and other "pests," and the abuse of backyard dogs.

PETA works through public education, investigations of cruelty, research, animal rescue legislation, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns. (ANI)