A day after the death of a circus elephant that was confined to an isolated building near Srirangapatna on Thursday night, a first information report (FIR) was registered against the circus company and forest officials.
Holding Gemini Circus and forest officials responsible for the death of Chanchal (51), Surabhi Vasudeva Murthy of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) filed a complaint with the Srirangapatna police. “The animal was placed in a dilapidated building along with four other female elephants for the past few months under pitiable conditions,” Mr. Murthy alleged in the complaint. He said neither had the circus company provided proper food and medical care to Chanchal, nor had forest officials initiated measures to save the pachyderm.
The FIR has been registered against the manager and owner of the circus company, and some unnamed officials of the Forest Department, Bhushan Gulabrao Borase, Superintendent of Police, told The Hindu , under certain sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 and the Karnataka Police Act 1963. However, no one has been named in the FIR. According to a senior police officer, though the elephant was registered with the Gemini Circus, it was later under the Jumbo Circus. “We are planning to summon the persons concerned in the circus companies and the forest officials at Mandya for questioning,” he said.
Meanwhile, it was found that the Forest Department had failed to completely burn the carcass. It needs a minimum of three days to completely burn an elephant carcass, Javed Mumtaj, Deputy Conservator of Forests (Mandya), said. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF-Wildlife) Ravi Ralph visited the Forest Department office on Friday and instructed officials to initiate measures to take care of the remaining four elephants, Mr. Mumtaj said.
Meanwhile, the Humane Society International-India (HSII), an organisation working for the protection of animals, has urged the Forest Department to rehabilitate the four elephants.
The HSII said the five elephants from Gemini Circus were kept in pitiable conditions after Gemini Circus was derecognised. Since then, the AWBI, the HSII and other non-governmental organisations were demanding quick action and freeing the elephants. At a press conference in Bengaluru on Friday, the HSII cruelty response manager Shreya Paropkari said the inspection conducted by the AWBI team on November 12 had reported that the elephants needed urgent treatment.
Action taken
Police to question officials of Forest Department, circus company
No one has been named in the FIR
HSII says the elephants were kept in pitiable conditions after Gemini Circus was derecognised
Inspection conducted by AWBI team on November 12 had reported that the elephants needed urgent treatment
