Stop Forcing Cows to Run Through Fire during Makar Sankranti!

When the people of Karnataka in southern India celebrate the festival of Makar Sankranti, they dress up their beloved cows with garlands and other decorations before forcing the to jump over a line of fire with their owners.

All animals have an instinctive fear of fire. It is cruel to force animals to run through or even close to fire. Surely they can perform this ritual in a different manner, one that does not subject the cows to such terror and the threat of injury.