After the rescue, a local court handed the animals back to the circus

Last month, four elephants were among 22 animals rescued from the city’s Rambo’s circus following a strong initiative number from a number of animal welfare groups who alleged that the animals were being housed in deplorable conditions, manacled and inhumanly treated.

However, following a local court order, the animals were handed back to the custody of the circus organisers this month. Despite this setback, animal welfare groups have resolved to go to court in a bid to ‘rescue’ the animals from the clutches of the circus owners yet again.

But stressing their claims is the health assessment report that was recently submitted by the veterinarians from the State Animal Husbandry Department (AHD) to the New Sanghvi police which took part in the rescue operation on May 26 last month.

The report damningly indicts the Circus owners, revealing the utterly callous state in which the 22 animals including four elephants, 14 dogs and four horses were kept for months on end.

According to the shocking AHD report, the four elephants at Rambo Circus suffer from “psychological deterioration” as a result of “prolonged and severe confinement and stress from abusive training, as demonstrated by their display of abnormal, stereotypic behaviour, including constant swaying, bobbing and weaving”.

The report ominously pointed drew attention to the fact that the elephants suffered from visual impairment, swollen joints, gangrene of the tail, infected internal ears, torn ear pinnas from the use of sharp torture devices resulting from their being chained in one place for as long as 22 hours a day.

The dogs suffered from neglect in the circus as evidenced by “severe tick and flea infestations of the skin and coat, untreated fractures and overgrown nails”, while the horses suffered swollen joints and tendons, wounds on various parts of their bodies and injuries on their tongues and the corners of their mouths – most likely from the use of prohibited sharp bits.

“The Rambo Circus condemns animals to chronic confinement and deprivation of everything that is natural and important to them when it forces them to perform for human amusement. We will explore all legal remedies to ensure that the animals are rescued again. PETA urges families to stay far away from any facility that abuses animals for entertainment,” said Manilal Valliyate, PETA India Director of Veterinary Affairs.

“We are indeed aggrieved by the orders of the Honourable JMFC,” said Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-Founder, Wildlife SOS.