John Cruz, a clown-turned-animal trainer, bid goodbye to a strange caravan of caged big cats bound for Venkateswara Zoological Park in AP
The scars on his hands won't let John Cruz forget his wild companions. This clown-turned-animal trainer bid goodbye to a strange caravan of caged big cats bound for Venkateswara Zoological Park in Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.
Ever since a Supreme Court order banned the use of wild animals in circus and other shows in 1998, Cruz and the animals have been jobless. The owner of Jumbo circus, M.V. Shankaran, kept 19 lions, a lioness and a blind tiger at an estate near Mananthavadi. in Wayanad district as long as he could afford to.
This week, he witnessed the formal disbanding of his team, which has enthralled many an animal aficionado.
Shankaran decided to hand over the beasts to Central Zoo Authority (CZA) because of the high cost of maintaining them. He had been spending huge sums on his large pets. The CZA wanted the animals to be transferred to its Animal Research Cenre at the Tirupati Zoo, has instructed the forest department to monitor their transportation and allotted Rs 2.5 lakh to cover the expenses.
The effort was strenuous before the caravan was ready for the journey. The wheeled cages with the animals were pulled with tractors through the narrow roads to trucks parked on the highway. Seven cages carrying 20 animals were put in trailers and mounted on the vehicles. Divisional forest officers monitored the activities.
Apart from forest officials and veterinarians, three employees of the circus, who have been tending to the animals, are also accompanying the caravan. They will remain in Tirupati while the animals acclamatise to the new place.
This is the first time in seven years that the animals are travelling such a distance. The animals are off to relative freedom while their former masters are struggling to keep alive a livelihood that is art, sports and cruelty at the same time. Many circus units find their revenue diminish progressively without the wild numbers. They insist that they don't torture animals which they call an asset to the troupe.
Cruz did not vie for limelight. But after a long career entertaining people all over India, this 82-year- old from Assam does not have a home to go.
Crouching tiger
A Government notification in 1998 banned the training and exhibition of bears, monkeys, tigers, leopards and lions. Supreme Court upheld this in a May 2001 order
Consequently maintaining these animals ceased to be financially lucrative for their owners and many were simply let off
Some owners have handed them over to zoos and other governmental agencies
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