Kolkata – In keeping with the "Beat Plastic Pollution" theme of this year's World Environment Day, a "dead cow" – whose stomach has been ripped open and packed with plastic – will lead People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and Vegan India Movement supporters in urging passers-by to reduce their use of plastic and other hazardous materials.

The powerful protest will pay tribute to Meena, a cow who weighed 180 kilograms before she underwent intensive surgery in October 2017 to remove 47 kilograms of plastic from her stomach. The supporters will also distribute cow-friendly canvas tote bags to passers-by in order to reduce their use of plastic bags.

Where: In front of the Victoria Memorial, South Gate, near to the SSKM Hospital and Rabindra Sadan, Kolkata When: Monday, 4 June, 12 noon "The scale of our plastic plight is hard to comprehend, as countless vulnerable land and sea animals suffer and die every day after ingesting huge amounts of plastic trash instead of food," says PETA India CEO Dr Manilal Valliyate. "PETA India is calling on caring people to consider the harm a piece of discarded plastic can cause and to limit their use of it in order to help keep animals and the planet healthy and safe."

PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to abuse in any way" – encourages everyone to dispose of trash properly by keeping all garbage in tightly sealed, chew-proof containers; rinsing out tins and putting the tops inside so that they won't cut an animal's tongue; crushing aluminium cans; fully breaking apart plastic six-pack rings; and cutting open empty cardboard and plastic containers so that animals can't become stuck inside them. Shoppers should also choose paper bags or bring reusable bags rather than using plastic ones whenever possible.