Amar Circus violates zoo authority guidelines

 

NAGPUR: The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) inspection and evaluation committee has recommended seizure of Padma, a female elephant with Amar Circus, for illegal ownership and violating CZA guidelines for housing and care of elephants. It has also directed to stop performance of semi-blind hippopotamus Amar.

The committee has urged chief wildlife warden to seize the elephant immediately and send it to a rehabilitation centre as advised by CZA where the animal can receive extensive veterinary treatment and is housed in a natural and free-ranging environment with other female elephants and have scope for exhibiting natural behaviours.

"A case may be booked against the circus owner by both, the chief wildlife warden and Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), for illegal possession of elephant under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act respectively," says the report.

Chief wildlife warden, SWH Naqvi, said he is yet to receive the report but if CZA has recommended then action will be taken. "We will seize the elephant and send it to a rescue centre," he told TOI.

On a complaint by BJP MP and animal rights activist, Maneka Gandhi, and PFA leader, Naresh Kadyan, an eight-member CZA committee had inspected and evaluated the Amar Circus in the city on June 25. The panel submitted its report on July 5.

The report says the circus owner does not possess any specific ownership certificate or legal procurement certificate for the elephant as per the claims.

"The circus owner has produced old document referring to three elephants which does not endorse or confirm legal ownership of Padma," the report says. The owner did not intimate the CZA about the death of two elephants, which died at Muzaffarpur in 2008 and Chhindwara in 2011, violating law.

The CZA has also recommended AWBI to recall and cancel any licences issued to circuses that use animals. It has urged AWBI to ban Amar Circus from any performance, holding, procuring, owning, possessing, exhibiting, displaying, breeding any exotic and domestic animals.

The committee urged the AWBI, Chennai, to issue necessary instructions to immediately stop performance of blind hippopotamus at the circus. It has recommended to send the hippo to lifetime care in consultation with CZA to a recognized zoo or rescue centre, immediately. However, currently, there are no rescue centres for hippos in India.

The committee members observed that there is not any legal document for none of the animals or birds to prove their acquisition or source or ownership or legal procurement.

The AWBI and CZA has been requested to take action against circus owner to shift all animals out and to other suitable facilities immediately, where appropriate housing facility can be provided to each bird and animal.

"Amar Circus does not have necessary infrastructure to maintain such animals and in their greed to use these animals and exploit them for commercial reasons, they are inflicting unnecessary cruelty upon these animals," the committee has submitted.

Hence, the committee has also recommended that all animals that are not covered by the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and CZA guidelines, such as horses, camels, dogs, ducks and birds be immediately removed from the circus by the AWBI.

The committee consisted of deputy conservator, P K Mahajan, Kartick Satyanarayan, Suparna Baksi Ganguly, Dr A B Shrivastav, Ashish Goswami, B K Gupta, S N Kapoor and SDO Prakash Patil.

The step ahead
* Female elephant, Padma, with Amar circus may be sent to rehabilitation centre
* Circus face ban on any performance, holding, procuring, owning, possessing, exhibiting, displaying, breeding any exotic and domestic animals
* CZA recommends recall and cancellation of licences of circuses that use animals
* Lifetime care recommended for semi-blind hippopotamus at a recognized zoo or rescue centre

Zoo authority serves notice to circus

CHANDIGARH: The Central Zoo Authority Of India issued a show-cause notice on Wednesday to Jumbo Circus going on at Manimajra, Chandigarh, for not complying with the provisions laid under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and Performing Animals (Registration) Rules, 2001, prescribed by the Animal Welfare Board of India.

A complaint was lodged at Manimajra police station by a representative of International Organization for Animal Protection (OIPA) in India, Naresh Kadyan.

"Jumbo Circus is violating the legislations as animals are being compelled to perform illegally and treated with cruelty, particularly the elephants," said Naresh Kadyan in his complaint to station house officer of Manimajra Rajesh Shukla. "We will look into the matter and take necessary action," the SHO said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Zoo-authority-serves-notice-to-circus/articleshow/11287104.cms

Stop exhibition of animals: AWBI tells Jumbo Circus

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) on Friday suspended the performing animal registration of The Jumbo Circus, which is currently on in Patiala. The action follows complaints of cruelty to animals and subsequent inquiry into the allegations. 

Marking copies of the communiqué — a copy of which is with The Indian Express — to the said effect to state chief secretary, director general of police, chief wildlife warden, patiala deputy commissioner and patiala senior superintendent of police, the AWBI has asked the circus officials to stop exhibition of animals as an interim measure, pending inquiry. In case of non-compliance of the directions, the AWBI warned of legal action against the circus. The AWBI letter also stated that the circus did not send monthly reports of all performing animals and submit an “adequate corroboration” of having employed a full-time veterinarian. 

The circus had come under scanner when during an inspection, Panipat SDM (Civil) had noted that a hippo with corneal opacity (less vision) and dogs with docked tails were being used at the performances. After receiving complaints regarding general upkeep and maintenance of the animals and cruelty to them during transportation and training, the board had appointed an inspecting officer to look into the matter. 

It is learnt that in his report submitted to the board, Dr Sandeep Kumar Jain listed a number of irregularities. These included a horse Abas who was tied from both legs, another horse Deepak who as “sick and isolated”, a donkey Tunty was tied from both legs, three female camels tied in “open cold weather”, wings of a bird “clipped”, tails of dogs “docked” and hippopotamus Raja suffering from “chronic corneal opacity, who did not respond to the sight of food but only responded to the voice of keepers”.  

Jain also pointed out in the report that while one elephant Lucky Prashad “did not belong to Jumbo Circus”, another was tied from both feet.When contacted, Jumbo Circus official R P Sharma, however, claimed that they were yet to receive the AWBI communiqué. “Dr Sandeep Jain had conducted an inspection. After taking all necessary steps to overcome the discrepancies pointed to us, the circus is now following all norms. We have already gifted away the dogs with docked tails. The hippo is no more performing. Only one leg of the animal is tied and likewise there is no irregularity in the circus now,” he added.

NGOs move court against Jumbo circus

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/NGOs-move-court-against-Jumbo-circus/articleshow/10626802.cms

PANIPAT: Trouble for owners of Jumbo Circus, who had been hogging limelight for all the wrong reasons, is far from over as the court of CJM has admitted a petition against them by representatives of International Organisation for Animal Protection (OPIA), an NGO associated with UN department of information, and Haryana People for Animals, for cruelty against animals.


The Indian representative of the NGO, Naresh Kadyan, who moved the court on Saturday, said that the animals being used for performance purposes by the circus were being kept in pathetic conditions, without proper food and shelter and were even denied medical care as a full time veterinarian, mandatory under the performance rules, had not been appointed by the circus.

The petition stated that owners of the circus transported the animals from Rajasthan to Panipat via Rohtak without proper documentation and certificates of fitness as required by Transport of Animals Rules 2001 under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960 and the Cattle Transport Rules of 1978, as amended in 2001.

The petitioners also accused the circus owners of using some exotic species of animals and birds that were covered under the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species ( CITES).

As per official documents, (copies of which are in possession of TOI), the circus had registered eight elephants, 13 Horses, 36 dogs, one hippo, 15 parrots, three camels, one pelican, two donkeys, one goat, two turkeys, eight Persian cats and one emu with the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI). However, Kadyan said that all these animals were not with the circus which was again a violation of the rules.
The court of CJM, after listening to the petitioner's counsel, admitted the petition and fixed November 8 as the next date of hearing.

Meanwhile, AWBI has already constituted a two-member panel to inspect the animals being used by Jumbo Circus, following allegation that the animals at the circus were being subjected to cruelty and a blind hippo was being used during performances. The Haryana chief wildlife warden had also denied permission to the circus to hold shows in Panipat unless it discontinued the use of blind Hippo, named Raja, for performance.

Circus fire raises concerns about safety of animals

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-30/mumbai/30338590_1_russian-circus-circus-fire-animal-welfare-board

MUMBAI: The fire that broke out at the New Golden Circus in Chunabhatti on Friday night due to a stray firecracker from a neighbouring slum, has brought into focus the issue of safety and well-being of performing animals.

Animal activists who had rushed to the spot near Priyadarshini Park told TOI that it was fortunate that none of the four horses and five performing dogs were injured in the fire. However, they alleged that the animals were "poorly maintained" at the circus.

Chembur-based veterinarian, Dr Deepa Katyal, who checked on the animals at the spot, said, "The horses looked weak and terrified and the five performing dogs were kept in a small enclosure. In fact, one of the female dogs is pregnant." She added that the activists gave water to the horses to quench their thirst and calm them down after the fire.

Animal welfare officer of Plant and Animals Welfare Society (PAWS), Sunish Subramanian, said: "It was the first performing night of the circus when the fire engulfed the canopy of the tent. Though no one was injured, but more care should be taken by the circus management and animal welfare authorities."

The secretary of Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA), Lt Colonel J C Khanna, said: "I have asked my inspectors to check if one of the circus dogs is pregnant and if there is any lapse in the upkeep of animals. So far, we have gathered that the circus organizers had permission from Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) to run the show."

Khanna said there were no wild animals like elephants at the circus as the management did not have permission from wildlife authority. "The canopy was not fire-proof, which led to the spread of fire. My officials will visit this circus as well as Rambo Circus in Bandra for inspections and preventive checks daily."

Activist Bhavin Gathani of the Goregaon-based NGO, Karuna Parivar said, "Circuses that employ animals should not be allowed in the city, due to such fire hazards in congested environment . In 2005, several seals of Russian Circus died in a fire in Andheri."