Tusker tantrum triggers debate on circus animals

Kolkata, Dec 27 - The violent, erratic behaviour of an elephant at a city circus about a week ago has triggered debate on the treatment meted out to animals in captivity.

Animal rights activists are saying the circus authorities were not taking proper care of Bhola, the tusker of Nataraj Circus, which created a flutter, smashing furniture, ripping iron rods and damaging the ticket counter before being tranquilised by forest officials.

'Wild animals cannot be tamed fully. It's nothing but exploitation of wild animals. It's highly unethical to keep them in captivity and use them for commercial purposes,' People for Animals (PFA) member Debashis Chakraborty told IANS.

All the shows of the circus had to be cancelled and the jumbo shifted to an isolated place in Domjur in Kolkata's twin district Howrah.

Chakraborty said in most cases the circus authorities did not have a proper licence to keep their animals.

'We are thinking of taking legal action against the circus company for not taking proper care of the elephant in Domjur,' Chakraborty said.

He said no food was given to Bhola and he was kept in an unhygienic condition. 'There was no monitoring at all,' he said, adding that Bhola turned violent due to hormonal secretion.

'Mast, a state of heightened sexual activity, is common among all male elephants during this season,' he pointed out.

But Bhola's case is not unique. Only three months back, a wild tusker from Jharkhand enacted a play of passion in the middle of the night, broke through the fence of Olympic Circus at Kumarbazar in Raiganj, some 175 km from Kolkata, and eloped with a female elephant, Sabitri.

Sabitri later returned to the circus after a whirlwind romance with the tusker. She is now three months pregnant.

West Bengal chief conservator of forest Atanu Raha said the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has to ensure whether the circus authorities are taking proper care of animals. Sometimes, they also ask the state forest department to monitor elephants.

'The elephants are handed over to circus companies by the CZA after completion of some formalities. Sometimes the zoo authority also inserts a microchip under the skin of elephants before they are handed over to a circus,' Raha told IANS.

(c) Indo-Asian News Service

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