NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Tuesday termed as “serious” and “shocking” that many circus animals are missing, after an audit by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) revealed a huge gap between the number of animals registered with it as against those found during a physical inspection of circuses across the country.
A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rajnish Bhatnagar also asked AWBI and the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) to find out what happened to the missing animals and file an affidavit disclosing the status of the circus animals registered with AWBI.
The HC was informed by the Federation of Indian Animals Protection Organisation (FIAPO) that according to the report filed by AWBI, around 700 circus animals were registered with it, but only 28 were found. “It is a serious issue. Out of 740 registered with you (AWBI), you have only 28 to answer for. What happened to the rest?” the HC asked.