Animal Welfare Board urges central govt to prohibit use of elephants for performance

The Times of India , Friday, September 09, 2016
Correspondent : Vijay Singh
MUMBAI: A day after the circus elephant ran amok in Pune, animal rights groups have once again raised concern about the cruelty involved by forcing animals like elephants to perform. The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has again advised the Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC) to issue a central notification under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, to ban the training, exhibition and use of elephants for performances in India.

"This recommendation of AWBI to MoEFCC to ban the use of elephants for performances is based on an earlier study report of experts and co-opted members of the board, including animal welfare and legal experts from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India," said a PETA activist.

The study report submitted on elephants pointed out that there is substantial evidence that cruelty and abuse are inherent when wild animals such as elephants are violently trained, have their spirits broken to make them obey human commands, are forced to perform tricks that are not natural to their behaviour, and are exhibited in crowded, noisy, and unnatural environments.

The study report also drew attention to the increasing number of incidents in which elephants have reacted to human abuse and have hurt or killed many people - as well as the prevalence of zoonotic diseases such as tuberculosis in captive elephants, which can spread to humans. According to figures compiled by the Heritage Animal Task Force, captive elephants have killed more than 526 people in Kerala within the last 15 years alone. The 43rd general meeting of the AWBI, held in Chennai on 23 July 2016, approved this study report and made a decision to send this advisory.

"The Animal Welfare Board has honoured elephants in the best way possible this Ganesh Chaturthi,'' said PETA India Director of Veterinary Affairs Dr ManilalValliyate. "It's high time we unshackled these representations of Lord Ganesha from chains and allowed them to live their lives as nature intended. Banning their use in performances would bring us closer to that goal," he added.

In 1998, the central government issued a notification that bears, monkeys, tigers, panthers, and lions shall not be exhibited or trained as performing animals. The notification was issued based on the recommendation of a high-level expert committee, which concluded that cruelty is inherent in circuses and that wild animals undergo unnecessary pain and suffering when they are trained and forced to perform. The committee also pointed out that the circuses cannot achieve adequate standards of housing and upkeep for captive wild animals, as they are constantly on the move, like a mobile zoo - and mobile zoos are not permitted in India.

After reviewing the AWBI-authorised inspection reports on elephants in circuses, the 39th general meeting of the AWBI, held in Chennai on August 23, 2013, made a decision to stop registering elephants for performances and also to propose that the MoEFCC include elephants - the only wild animal excluded from the ban, though protected under Schedule I of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 - on the list of banned animals under Section 22 of The PCA Act, 1960. The recent decision and advisory of the board also reflect its findings regarding the suffering of captive elephants when they are paraded in temple festivals in southern states like Kerala and elsewhere or when used for joy rides in tourist destinations such as Jaipur.

Elephants in captivity are abducted from their families, chained by the legs, and beaten into submission - they are wild animals who cannot be considered domesticated simply because they are held in captivity. They are forced to perform ridiculous, frightening, and often dangerous tricks under the constant threat of punishment from ankuses (bullhooks), which are jabbed into the sensitive skin on their faces, feet, and knees. In the wild, elephants are highly social animals who thrive in matriarchal herds, protecting each other and caring for orphaned babies. They also travel many miles a day, which is necessary for their health and well-being. There is scientific evidence that elephants experience joy, sadness, and fear. In captivity, their complex and multifaceted emotional relationships are left in tatters. Most of the elephants in circuses, temples, and the tourism industry spend only 1 per cent of their time performing unnatural tricks - they spend the rest chained, eating usually substandard food, and exhibiting stereotypic behaviour indicative of extreme mental distress.

The existing animal-protection laws of the country prohibit any cruel training, exhibition, or use of elephants for performance as well as housing, upkeep, or maintenance that is in any way cruel or unnatural to their instincts or that compromises their health and welfare. Numerous AWBI inspections have proven beyond doubt that training, exhibition, and use of elephants for performance is inherently cruel.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Animal-Welfare-Board-urges-central-govt-to-prohibit-use-of-elephants-for-performance/articleshow/54198149.cms
 


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