In the wake of reports of cruelties against animals in circuses, two government bodies have issued show cause notices to circus owners in the country asking why their recognition be not withdrawn if they do not adhere to rules, PETA claimed today.
Animal Welfare Board of India and the Central Zoo Authority have warned the circus owners that if they don't adhere to rules, their recognition as entities having 'captive animal facility' will be withdrawn.
The two government bodies issued the notices following a nine-month-long investigation of sixteen circuses across India during which a number of violations were found, PETA said.
The investigation was conducted by a team of PETA India and Animal Rahat and authorised by the AWBI, a statutory body operating under the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
The findings included rampant use of weapons; death of animals due to inadequate care; drunken circus staff who were handling animals; nearly constant chaining and caging and other severe confinement of elephants, dogs, cats, birds and other animals.
"CZA in its show cause notice conveyed that it is considering withdrawing the recognition of circuses as a captive animal facility, making them an illegal establishment to keep the custody of any wild animals such as elephants," PETA said in a statement.
The action by the government bodies also follows news reports of Moonlight Circus animals being left hungry in Goa after the circus owner was arrested for alleged rape and human trafficking.
Hailing the move, PETA has called on Ministry of Environment and Forests to ban the use of animals in circuses following the lead of Cyprus, Bolivia, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina-countries that have already done so.
"Had the government followed the lead of numerous other nations by banning the archaic and cruel use of animals in circuses, the recent atrocity of the animals being left hungry by the Moonlight Circus and so many others cruelties could have been prevented," Poorva Joshipura, CEO, PETA India said.
"We hope the recent Moonlight Circus fiasco acts as a wake-up call to the government about the need for a ban on the use of animals in circuses," she added.
