A Delhi-based wildlife body today claimed to have rescued four jumbos from a circus in Pune who were shackled by spiked chains and kept in cruel conditions.
The elephants were rescued from Rambo circus following a two day and a night-long operation by a rescue team from Wildlife SOS in coordination with FIAPO, PETA, police and Forest Department, Geeta Seshamani, co-founder Wildlife SOS said.
They will soon be shifted to the Wildlife SOS Elephant Care Center in Haryana or Uttar Pradesh, where they will receive a quality veterinary care, healthy diet and companionship, she said.
"It was shocking to witness the inhumane conditions that the elephants were kept in, shackled by spiked chains and denied any chance at a natural life. The elephants in this circus were a priority as they were in terrible distress," Seshamani said.
An evaluation of the Rambo circus had revealed horrifying details about the poor welfare and conditions in which the animals lived and were forced to work illegally in violation of the ban by AWBI and the cancellation of the circus recognition by Central Zoo Authority.
The four elephants languishing in the circus will be rehabilitated by Wildlife SOS, while the equines and dogs will be taken in by Maharashtra based Animal Rahat and ResQ.
The rescues are part of Wildlife SOS Circus Elephant Campaign to rehabilitate circus elephants across India. When the campaign began in 2015, there were 67 elephants in Indian circuses while with today's rescue of four elephants, that number is down to 55 elephants, the statement said.
"Wildlife SOS will not only rehabilitate the elephants but also their handlers. We have offered employment to the mahouts and elephants handlers from the circus to ensure they are not deprived of their livelihoods.
"We will train them to handle elephants with kindness and compassion. Making elephants in circuses a thing of the past is a monumental task and one that will require several agencies to collaborate and work together," Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder of Wildlife SOS said
He acknowledged the role played by Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar and Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi in this effort.
