Target: Arun Kumar Pandey, Chief Wildlife Warden and Animal Welfare Board of India, Chhattisgarh, India
Goal: Seek harsh legal consequences for the reportedly unlicensed circus that apparently forced five dogs to perform.
Five Indian Spitz dogs were removed from a circus in Sakti district, Chhattisgarh, after video footage emerged allegedly showing them being used in performance acts — positioned on plastic chairs in an arena and made to walk on their hind legs in formation. The circus was apparently found to lack the required performing animals registration certificate mandated under India’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, making the use of these animals in performances unambiguously unlawful. The dogs have been handed over to authorities for rehabilitation and adoption, but the operators of the circus must face the full legal consequences of what they allegedly subjected these animals to.
Using animals to perform unnatural acts — such as walking on hind legs in formation — causes physical and psychological harm that the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act was specifically designed to prevent. The requirement for a performing animals registration certificate exists precisely to ensure oversight and accountability in the treatment of animals used in entertainment. The alleged operation of this circus without that certification, and the apparent use of dogs in forced performances, reflects a disregard for both the animals’ welfare and the law that must be met with meaningful consequences.
The Animal Welfare Board of India and the Chief Wildlife Warden of Chhattisgarh have both the authority and the responsibility to ensure that all individuals found responsible for the operation of this performing establishment are punished. Sign this petition to demand full accountability and to send a clear message that unlicensed animal performance acts will not be tolerated.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Chief Warden Pandey,
We are writing to urge your offices to ensure that full criminal complaints are filed against the operators of the circus in Sakti district from which five dogs were allegedly used in performance acts without the required performing animals registration certificate. According to reports, Indian Spitz dogs were positioned on plastic chairs in an arena and made to walk on their hind legs in formation — acts that are not natural to these animals and that are associated with training methods that frequently cause physical and psychological harm.
The requirement for a performing animals registration certificate under the PCA Act is not a formality — it is a legal safeguard designed to ensure that animals used in entertainment receive appropriate oversight and protection. The alleged operation of a performing animals establishment without that certificate, and the alleged use of dogs in forced unnatural performances, represents a clear violation of Indian law that demands criminal prosecution.
We respectfully but firmly demand that all persons found responsible for the operation of this circus and the alleged use of these five dogs in performance acts face the full criminal penalties available under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The five dogs who were allegedly forced to perform have now been removed — but justice requires that those responsible be held fully accountable.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: aboodi vesakaran
