Little Millennium Schoolchildren to Join ‘Elephant’, ‘Horse’, and ‘Dog’ in Urging the Public to Say No to Animal Circuses 

For Immediate Release:

07 November 2023

Contact:

Utkarsh Garg; [email protected]

Hiraj Laljani; [email protected]

Prayagraj – Ahead of Children’s Day (14 November), young supporters of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India from Little Millennium schools will wear animal masks and hold signs that read, “Ban Animal Circuses” and “Make Animals Happy, Say No to Animal Circuses”, as they join other PETA India supporters in horse, elephant, and dog costumes in a demonstration for animals in Prayagraj. They aim to show their support for PETA India’s request that the central government Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying end the use of animals in circuses and to let passers-by know that animals suffer when forced to perform.

Where:           Gate No 4, Chandrashekhar Azad Park, George Town, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh 211002

When:            Wednesday, 8 November, 12 noon sharp

“These children know that chaining and beating animals is wrong,” says PETA India Campaigns Coordinator Utkarsh Garg. “That’s why they are here to let the public know animals suffer in circuses and to urge everyone to choose only animal-free forms of entertainment.”

Alok Pandey, Principal of Little Millennium, Naini, says “Our school is committed to teaching students about kindness to animals, because we know kind kids grow into responsible adults.”

“We are proud of our association with PETA India and to be able to do our part to help animals suffering in circuses,” adds Anshika Shrivastava, Principal of Little Millennium, Baghambari.

Inspections by the Animal Welfare Board of India 9AWBI) 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, and 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 animals in circuses across the country over animal welfare concerns, and the CZA wrote in support of the prohibition of using elephants in circuses for the same reason. The CZA’s purview covers wild animals protected under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. In 2018, the central government issued draft rules proposing to prohibit the use of all animals in circuses across India, but the rules are 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.

PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

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