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12 lions, two tigers of a circus sent to Tirupathi Rescue Centre
Twelve lions and two tigers which were rescued by the wildlife department from the grand national circus in Bhiwandi were sent to a rescue centre in Tirupathi early on Friday as the animals were sick and infirm, animal welfare authorities said.
Twelve lions and two tigers which were rescued by the wildlife department from the grand national circus in Bhiwandi were sent to a rescue centre in Tirupathi early on Friday as the animals were sick and infirm, animal welfare authorities said.
Under a central government notification, wild animals cannot remain with circus authorities and their performance in public is banned, Anuradha Sawhney, chief functionary of People for Ethical Animals (PETA) said in Mumbai on Friday.
The animals were rescued after a raid conducted with the help of PETA, People for Animals (PFA) and Plant and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) on March 27.
Among the 12 lions, eight are adults and four are female cubs. Two lionesses are pregnant. The animals were kept in cages less than the prescribed sizes and most of them were sick and infirm, Sawhney said. Doctors of Bombay Veterinary College, on examination, found that one of the lions had a paralysed jaw, she said.
As per a notification issued in keeping with a Supreme Court order in may last, circus authorities are not allowed to keep in captivity lions, tigers, leopards, bears and monkeys. The ownership certificate held by circus authorities in respect of these animals stand automatically cancelled and the creatures are required to be handed over to the government, which would then place them in sanctuaries or rescue centres.
The Grand National circus was not observing the rules and continued to keep in captivity wild animals, Sawhney claimed.
Bureau Report
The animals were rescued after a raid conducted with the help of PETA, People for Animals (PFA) and Plant and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) on March 27.
Among the 12 lions, eight are adults and four are female cubs. Two lionesses are pregnant. The animals were kept in cages less than the prescribed sizes and most of them were sick and infirm, Sawhney said. Doctors of Bombay Veterinary College, on examination, found that one of the lions had a paralysed jaw, she said.
As per a notification issued in keeping with a Supreme Court order in may last, circus authorities are not allowed to keep in captivity lions, tigers, leopards, bears and monkeys. The ownership certificate held by circus authorities in respect of these animals stand automatically cancelled and the creatures are required to be handed over to the government, which would then place them in sanctuaries or rescue centres.
The Grand National circus was not observing the rules and continued to keep in captivity wild animals, Sawhney claimed.
Bureau Report