The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : The last act of the pachyderm?

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Wednesday, Jun 25, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

The last act of the pachyderm?

S. Harpal Singh

They face ban from circuses

CZA provides identification by planting micro chip
Indian Circus Federation to meet on July 7

ADILABAD: As unrelenting animal rights activists press hard for it, there is a likelihood of even elephants being banned from performing in the circus ring. The Indian Circus Federation, a representative organisation of circus owners in the country, considers this as the latest threat to the business and has listed the issue as one of the main points on the agenda for its July 7 meeting at New Delhi according to sources.

The initial ban on animals performing in circus included those wild species that are mentioned in schedule I and II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. As the Indian elephant does not figure under the endangered category, managements were allowed to retain the animals subject to certain conditions.

Adverse impact

After the disappearance of lions and tigers from the circus arena following the ban, the performing elephant remained the only attraction in the wild animal segment. Circus managements dread any bar on performance by these giants will only have an adverse impact on the already crippled business.

The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) ensures that no new elephant is directly inducted in any circus for the sake of performing. Desirous managements need to obtain an ownership certificate for the elephant in question from the Chief Wildlife Wardens of concerned State and a licence for the animal to perform from the Animal Welfare Board, Chennai.

The CZA provides identification to the existing elephants in all the circuses by way of planting a micro chip behind the ears of the tuskers. All the five elephants in the Empire circus now playing in Adilabad have the micro chip so embedded making them sort of elephants.

The gigantic animals were purchased by circus owners at the Sonpur elephant shandy in Chapra district of Bihar State during the golden period of this show business. The price of these animals ranges between Rs. 6 lakh and Rs. 10 lakh depending upon its ‘quality’.

Status symbol

“Those with tusks cost the most,” points out Mustafa master, the elephant trainer in the Empire circus. “These days only the neo Zamindars in Bihar purchase the giants as a symbol of status,” he adds.

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