Aviod this circus if you love animals!

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* *AVOID THIS CIRCUS IF YOU LOVE ANIMALS*

 

An NGO inspected a circus in Kalyan and found that animals are kept in

pathetic conditions; some of them are injured and yet made to perform;

itwill now subm

it a report to the Animal Welfare Board of India for action to be taken

against the circus

 

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Posted On Wednesday, December 26, 2007

 

*Yogesh* Sadhwani

 

On Tuesday, volunteers of Plant and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) inspected

Rayman Circus that is performing at APMC ground in Kalyan. The volunteers,

who were authorised by Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) to carry out the

inspection, came back with astounding results. They said most of the animals

are kept in pathetic conditions. Some of them are injured and yet made to pe

rform.

 

Now, PAWS will submit a detailed report to AWBI. " Once we submit the report,

AWBI can take suitable action against the circus, " said Nilesh Bhanage,

founder of PAWS.

 

The PAWS team comprising Anuradha Ramaswamy, Kunal Chheda, Kaizad Daruwalla,

Crystal Fernandes and Sonali Bagde said all the four elephants at the circus

are kept in pitiable condition. The area where they are chained is filthy

and there is only one mahut for them.

 

" As per rules there should be a mahut for every elephant. Since these

elephants are all females they need extra care and thus one mahut per creatu

re is needed, " said Ramaswamy.

 

One of the elephants had pigmentation inside her trunk, which according to

Bhanage, shows that it has not been kept in clean surroundings and is also

not given a proper diet.

 

Of the five horses, one is severely injured, while the other is malnourished.

" Injured and malnourished animals cannot be made to perform. The circus is

flouting norms, " said Fernandes.

 

The volunteers found that wings of all the parrots have been clipped.

 

" As per Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, nobody can clip a bird's

wings, even if there is a risk that it may fly away, " said Bhanage.

 

The ducks were kept in small tubs filled with drainage water. The camels were

found to have contracted skin diseases. " Our vet examined the camels and

made it clear that they should not be used for a while. Also, he suggested

isolation for some time, " said Bhanage. The vet also treated all the otherinju

red animals and gave out prescriptions.

 

PAWS also claimed that the circus does not have a full-time vet. " As per rules,

any circus that has more than five animals should have a full-time vet, "

said Bhanage.

 

When Mumbai Mirror contacted RM Pillai, manager of Rayman Circus, he said,

" It (PAWS) is there to make allegations and my job to defend our side. " He

said his team knew how to take care of animals.

 

" There is nothing wrong with the camels. It is natural for them to get these

marks on their skin once a year. As for the two horses, we do not use them.

The elephants are just fine. Also there is nothing wrong with our birds, " he

said. Irked by the PAWS report, Pillai said from now on he would not let any

NGO inside his circus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

--

Nilesh Bhanage

+91 9820161114

www.pawsasia.org