mumbai a day after the circus elephant ran amok in pune animal rights groups have once again raised concern about the cruelty involved by forcing animals like elephants to perform the animal welfare board of india awbi has again advised the union ministry of environment forests and climate change moefcc to issue a central notification under the prevention of cruelty to animals act 1960 to ban the training exhibition and use of elephants for performances in indiathis recommendation of awbi to moefcc to ban the use of elephants for performances is based on an earlier study report of experts and coopted members of the board including animal welfare and legal experts from people for the ethical treatment of animals peta india said a peta activistthe study report submitted on elephants pointed out that there is substantial evidence that cruelty and abuse are inherent when wild animals such as elephants are violently trained have their spirits broken to make them obey human commands are forced to perform tricks that are not natural to their behaviour and are exhibited in crowded noisy and unnatural environments the study report also drew attention to the increasing number of incidents in which elephants have reacted to human abuse and have hurt or killed many people as well as the prevalence of zoonotic diseases such as tuberculosis in captive elephants which can spread to humans according to figures compiled by the heritage animal task force captive elephants have killed more than 526 people in kerala within the last 15 years alone the 43rd general meeting of the awbi held in chennai on 23 july 2016 approved this study report and made a decision to send this advisorythe animal welfare board has honoured elephants in the best way possible this ganesh chaturthi said peta india director of veterinary affairs dr manilal valliyate its high time we unshackled these representations of lord ganesha from chains and allowed them to live their lives as nature intended banning their use in performances would bring us closer to that goal he addedin 1998 the central government issued a notification that bears monkeys tigers panthers and lions shall not be exhibited or trained as performing animals the notification was issued based on the recommendation of a highlevel expert committee which concluded that cruelty is inherent in circuses and that wild animals undergo unnecessary pain and suffering when they are trained and forced to perform the committee also pointed out that the circuses cannot achieve adequate standards of housing and upkeep for captive wild animals as they are constantly on the move like a mobile zoo and mobile zoos are not permitted in indiaafter reviewing the awbiauthorised inspection reports on elephants in circuses the 39th general meeting of the awbi held in chennai on august 23 2013 made a decision to stop registering elephants for performances and also to propose that the moefcc include elephants the only wild animal excluded from the ban though protected under schedule i of the