PAWS-Mumbai Letter to Member Secretary Central Zoo Authority for Strict action against owners/mahouts of Elephants which are made to beg on streets

Copy of PAWS-Mumbai Letter send to
Central Zoo Authority

On 08 December 2011, Plant & Animals Welfare Society – Mumbai (PAW-Mumbai) Office have send letter to Member Secretary – Central Zoo Authority and copy of it have been forwarded to Smt. Jayanthi Natarajan – Ministry of Environment and Forests, The President / Secretary – Animal Welfare Board of India, Dr. Anjani Kumar (Director) Animal Welfare Division (Govt. of India)  in regards to Strict action against owners / mahouts of Elephants which are made to beg on streets.

The brief letter written by PAWS-Mumbai …………………

This is to bring to your notice that Elephants are illegally made to be on streets by their owners/mahouts to earn money. This is violation of the concerned laws of the land such as Wildlife Protection Act 1972, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, Performing Animals Rules 1973 & 2001.

Such display and using of poor Elephants on the streets for commercial gains should be banned as they come under severe stress and trauma. In fact, the street is much more than while they are captive in zoos. You may notice that the CZA Circular File No.7-5/2006-CZA (Vol.II) dated 7^th November 2009 banning elephants from Zoo collections. There is a dire need to issue another Circular in relation to this issue of banning Elephants on our streets for advertisements, begging or for entertainment. The Elephants face more stress and insult at the hands of the public that in a Zoo.

So we urge you to kindly issue a Circular/ Directives to the concerned law-enforcement authority (Police, Forest Dept.) to take stringent action against the owners / Mahouts who make the Elephants walk on our streets for begging advertisement or for permitting the public any unhygienic food.

We would appreciate if you would inform us for the action taken on our complaint.

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