Roorkee: FIR Registered Against Notorious Asiad Circus for Mutilation of Birds’ Wings Following PETA India Complaint

Acting on a complaint filed by PETA India, the Roorkee Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the proprietors of Asiad Circus under Sections 3 and 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA), 1960, and Section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The FIR was filed after PETA India documented the use of non-native birds— 2 macaws and 2 cockatoos—with clipped wings, being forced to perform unnatural acts at the circus location in Lal Kurti Cantonment, Roorkee. Macaws and cockatoos are endangered species. Instead of cooperating with the police, the notorious circus with a long history of cruelty to animals has concealed the birds.

PETA India’s team visited the circus and observed visibly distressed birds frantically flapping their clipped wings during the show. Clipping flight feathers renders birds unable to perform innate behaviours such as flying, disrupts their sense of spatial orientation and leads to enduring psychological distress and trauma. This also constitutes cruelty and maiming under Indian animal protection laws. Birds whose wings are cut are also more fearful, as they are unable to protect themselves from harm. This is not the first time Asiad Circus has been implicated in animal welfare violations. In 2024, a bird died from a cat bite, possibly after clipped wings left the animal unable to escape. In 2021, following a petition by PETA India, the Delhi High Court ordered the rescue of a hippopotamus from the circus due to neglect. The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) had previously cancelled the circus’s Performing Animals Registration Certificate (PARC) for obstructing inspections.

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