It’s a golden moment in the Indian Animals Right Movement, as the Government body Central Zoo Authority lends its supports to put an end to the use of elephants in circuses, and to ensure their rehabilitation. See their letter to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) here.
The authority has also requested State Forest Departments to cancel the ownership certificates of circuses and rehabilitate elephants that are still in possession of the circuses that CZA had derecognized last year. Moreover, the Ministry has also been asked to invite AWBI & Project Elephant to actively participate in this process.
It is a moment of great pride for all. Elephants, despite being a Schedule 1 species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, have long been suffering in the hands of their ‘rightful’ ‘owners’!
The CZA’s recommendation follows numerous inspection reports & notices documenting the widespread illegalities and cruelty to elephants in circuses. Based on these findings, CZA had previously de-recognised all circuses (with one exception), owing to the clear violation of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. With CZA’s ambit of wild animals, it has recommended that using elephants be completely stopped in Indian circuses.
Motivated by the same thoughts, a group of Higher Secondary school children visited the Ministry with 1000 postcards, each with a personal message from school children across India about why they don’t want to see animals in circuses! Here’s a glimpse of their powerful expression:
We are extremely happy with this huge development in FIAPO’s campaign to End Circus Suffering, which we hope will end with the holistic rehabilitation of the freed animals.
If you support the movement, make it count! Sign & share the petition to #EndCircusSuffering
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(Featured image courtesy Kim Bartlett – Animal People, Inc.)
