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Section 48 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) confers on every citizen the power to arrest any person who has committed a nonbailable, cognizable offence in her or his presence and to turn the offender over to the nearest police officer or station. The police officer will rearrest such a person in accordance with Section 41 of the CPC.

When you find a madari with a wild animal, there are two courses of action:

Ask a police or wildlife officer to accompany you and bring the offender to the police station, or arrest him and take him to the police station yourself. File an FIR under the WPA, and have the animal confiscated and sent to a local animal welfare shelter until he or she can be produced in court. Ensure that the animal receives food and water immediately upon confiscation. Make sure animals do not languish in police custody, as the police station will not have the facilities to care for them. They must be removed to an animal care facility. If the animals have any ornaments, clothes or paint on them, direct the madari to remove these items. See Indian Laws As They Apply to Wild Animals and Indian Laws As They Apply to Animals and Confiscation.

If there are a number of such street ‘entertainers’ in a particular locality (for example, India Gate in Delhi has several madaris with monkeys), you can:

• Give copies of the relevant laws to the local police and report the violation.

• Inform the local wildlife warden.

• Inform the public why they should not support this form of cruelty.

Distribute leaflets, and ask your local cable channel and other news media to carry a message.