Tags:
Journalism of Courage
CHENNAI, JAN 7: The tigers and lions grunt and growl behind bars biding their time to enter the arena. The camels noisily chomp at their grub while the pachyderms wait patiently shifting their enormous feet in a rhythmic dance. But the display of wild animals including the tigers have drawn protests from animal welfare organisations.
These animals getting ready to perform for one of the shows on at the Gemini Circus in city are least aware of the controversy they got themselves in.
Members of Animal Welfare Organisation including Nanditha Krishna of the C P R Environment Centre (CPREC) are crying hoarse, charging that the use of wild animals including tigers for performance flouted the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, Wildlife Protection and Contempt of Court.
In letters to the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) secretary Saraswathi Ramraj and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests V R Chitrapu, she has sought confiscation of tiger and other animals referring a the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment’s notification stating, “Bears, monkeys, tigers, panthers and lions shall not be exhibited or trained as performing animals”.
When it has been accepted world over that training animals for display is cruel, it is high time that action is taken to put an end to cruelty in the form of entertainment, she says.
The AWBI forwarded a complaint of the CPREC to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), which is empowered to confiscate the animals. A case was booked with the Metropolitan Magistrate Court following which Gemini Circus had to pay Rs 500 as fine . “As police comes within the jurisdiction of the Home Department, we have requested the Home Secretary to instruct the police to seize the animals”.
The partners of Gemini Circus however have a different story to tell. Says Prem Kumar, a partner, “We have obtained a stay order on the notification issued by the Karnataka High Court at Bangalore”. This latest interim order dated Novemer 17 was issued in the case filed by the Indian Circus Employees’ Union vs the Union of India.
Senior advocate K V Venkatapathi, Advocate General Tamil Nadu in his legal opinion on the notification has said that as the Karnataka High Court has granted a stay on the notification, it is not in vogue until final adjudication of the issues raised in the writ petition. “In view of the interim stay, there is absolutely no bar for Gemini Circus to exhibit or train lions as performing animals at Chennai or at any other place in India till the operation of the stay is in force.”
Prem Kumar terms all these steps as `sheer harassment’ by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. If the notification was implemented it would mean that 5,000 circus employees of the 22 class I and other circuses would be on the street, he said adding, “Even the West Bengal Government has acceded to our request to display the five animals.”
“Our animals are our babies,” says the circus’ founder partner K Sahadevan. Veterinarian M S Gopal avers that they have been taking good care of their animals as their good health is the basis for sound performance.
Meanwhile, the circus show continues.
