AHMEDABAD: That meat you are about to gobble may be buzzing with anthrax virus, ready to eat you up instead! Conveying this message were four PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) volunteers at Law Garden on Wednesday afternoon. "It was recently found that some cattle in Dehgam, Gandhinagar district, died of anthrax. Wednesday's demonstration was aimed at telling people about the hazards of eating infected meat in particular, and the disadvantages of being a non-vegetarian, in general," said Nikunj Sharma, who came down from PETA, Mumbai, for the campaign. Clad in shiny biohazard suits', two volunteers went about meeting people, holding placards that said "Meat Kills" and "Meat: A Mouthful of Anthrax". They then told the gathering how such epidemics erupt and spread. "A UN report says that diseases such as bird flu and anthrax first appear in animal farms, owing to bad hygienic conditions there. When people eat meat that comes from these infected animals, they too are affected," said Sharma. "People who took part in the campaign were receptive to the message we were trying to convey. Also, many were surprised at the fact that we were promoting vegetarianism in Gujarat, a state that holds the reputation of being dominated by vegetarians," pointed out Mayur Mistry, a volunteer. But trends are changing fast. Popular eating joints in the city are offering a large number of non-vegetarian dishes and Gujaratis are gorging on them. "In Pune and Mumbai, vegetarians prefer Gujarati thalis over other dishes. It feels strange to know that more and more Gujaratis are turning to meat," said Sharma. With many popular fast food chains trying to promote meat products in the state, this was an attempt to generate awareness about vegetarianism. "We only hope that people start choosing their food wisely and consciously. Killing animals for food is not only cruel, but an easy gateway to many lethal diseases," underlined Ministry.