Circus has right to exhibit animals

Circus manager Prem Raj told Express Newsline that they had contested the notification of the Union Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment dated October 14, 1998 which had put a blanket ban on exhibition of bears, monkeys, tigers, panthers, and lions even in circuses, and obtained the interim order to continue the shows.

8220;It is only an attempt to harass the circus operators by the GSPCA, who fail to understand that a circus like this which carries assests worth over Rs 1 crore from one city to another, and has 15 lions, 13 tigers, four chimpanzees, three elephants and a staff of 250 people, would not indulge in such violation of wildlife laws8221;, he said.

Raj maintained that there was no cruelty and the animals were well kept, simply because the survival of the whole staff depended on the best performance of these animals. 8220;We also get the health of these animals examined weekly, as is legally mandatory8221;, he said, and added that even the cages were according to specifications.

Meanwhile, even as forest officials began their investigation into the legality of the possession of the animals by the circus on Wednesday, GSPCA activist Snehal Bhatt stood by her version on the 8220;illegal display of animals and the cages not being according to specifications8221;.