Jawaharlal Nehru Public Schoolchildren Join ‘Elephant’, ‘Horse’, and ‘Dog’ in Urging the Public to Say No to Animal Circuses with PETA India and Other NGOs
Ahead of Children’s Day (14 November), in collaboration with Animals with Humanity (AWH), Paw People and PETA India, children from Jawaharlal Nehru Public school wore animal masks and held signs that read, “Ban Animal Circuses” and “Make Animals Happy, Say No to Animal Circuses”, as they joined persons wearing horse, elephant, and dog costumes in a demonstration for animals in Bhopal. They aimed to show their support for PETA India’s request that the central government’s Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying end the use of animals in circuses and to spread awareness that animals suffer when forced to perform.
These children know that chaining and beating animals is wrong. That’s why they were here to let the public know animals suffer in circuses and to urge everyone to choose only animal-free forms of entertainment.
“Our school is committed to teaching students about kindness toward animals, because we know kind kids grow into responsible adults.”
– Chetna Jaroliya, Principal of Jawaharlal Nehru Public School
Inspections by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and investigations into circuses by PETA India have revealed that animals used in circuses are subjected to chronic confinement, physical abuse, and psychological torment. Workers use whips and other weapons to inflict pain on them, forcing them to perform frightening tricks, including jumping through rings of fire, out of fear of violent punishment. Even when they aren’t performing, these animals endure a lifetime of misery. Their access to water, food, and veterinary care is often severely restricted. Dogs may be crammed into wire cages and rarely let out. Birds are often confined to small, filthy cages, and their wings are crudely clipped so that they cannot fly. Horses are typically kept tethered on short ropes.
Two regulatory bodies, the AWBI and the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), have recognised that animal circuses are inherently cruel and that the use of animals in circuses in India should be prohibited. The AWBI previously advised the central government to pass legislation prohibiting the use of animals in circuses nationwide due to animal welfare concerns, and the CZA wrote in support of prohibiting the use of elephants in circuses for the same reason. The CZA’s purview covers wild animals protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. In 2018, the central government issued a draft notification proposing to prohibit the use of all animals in circuses across India; however, the amendment to the rules has yet to be passed. Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, and Malta have banned the use of all animals in circuses. PETA India calls on India to follow suit.
