IBAMA x Animals in circus – latest news from Brazilby Jaqueline B. Ramos
While the Federal Law that will prohibit the use of animals in circus is not approved in Brazil – a public audiende to discuss the a bill proposal was scheduled to November 4th -, the war against mistreating of animals in this kind of entertainment activity continues.
Photo: Giraffe from Le Cirque (by Campo Grande News)
One of the circus with the largest number of animals that travels around Brazil, named Le Cirque, was in Brasilia in the beginning of August and the licence that permits the circus to present at the capital had been suspended. On Tuesday, August 12th , IBAMA and public prosecutors did an inspection operation and found out unsafe installations and clear evidence of mistreating against a lot of animals, among them them two chimpanzees, one rhinoceront, one hippopotamus, one giraffe, one camel and several elephants. The operation resulted on the decision of confiscate the animals and relocate them to more approppriate places.
It’s worth to point out that the circus had already been forbiden, by Justice, to do presentations with the animals at São Paulo state last year for the same reasons.
HELP BRAZIL TO BE A COUNTRY WHERE THE USE OF ANIMALS IN CIRCUS IS CONSIDERED ILLEGAL.
FIVE BRAZILIAN STATES AND ALMOST 50 CITIES HAD ALREADY APPROVED REGIONAL LAWS AND DO NOT ACCEPT THE USE OF ANIMALS IN CIRCUS.
COUNTRIES LIKE AUSTRIA, DENMARK, FINLAND AND INDIA HAVE ALREADY FEDERAL LAWS THAT PROHIBITS THE USE OF ANIMALS IN CIRCUS ON THEIR TERRITORIES.
JOIN THE INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE END OF ANIMALS IN CIRCUS SIGNING A PETITION - http://www.petitiononline.com/circobr/petition-sign.html.
PROOF OF ABUSE AND TORTURE
GAP Project Brazil presents some photos of the place where Jeber and Tyson, the chimpanzees from Le Cirque, used to live before going to the Sanctuary. There are also photos from the chimps already settled at the Sanctuary and these shows the evidence of the mistreating committed against them.Photo: Chimp relocated at GAP Sanctuary, after years of mistreating in circus. He has scars of chains around his neck (by GAP Brazil Project)
# The chimpanzees were confined in a trailler of no more than 10 meters together with an hippopotamus. They were separated from each other only by a narrow corridor.
# The place where they were kept was extremely dirty and completely deteriorated. The “beds” were in so bad conditions that the chimps were not able to lay down on them.
# The cage was completely unsafe, as tit was in bad conditions and was not locked properly. There was a big chance that the chimps break the door lock and run away.
# The chimps suffered several mutilations. They were castrated – testicules extraction – and had all their teeth pulled out. They also have scars of chains around their necks.
# After some exams made by the veterinary of GAP's Sanctuary, it was found out that Jeber and Tyson were infected with two parasites (Strongyloides stercolaris and Ascaris lumbricoides), transmitted by men to animals and vice-versa and related to very low hygiene standards.
If this is not considered mistreating, what more do we need to prove it?
Photos: Position of the mouth with all the teeth pulled out; Castration (testicules extraction); Chain scars around the neck; Bad conserved and small cage where the chimps were kept in the circus (by GAP Project Brazil)
CHIMPANZEES FROM LE CIRQUE ARE SAFE AT GAP PROJECT SANCTUARY
On August 15th, Federal Regional Tribunal (TRF, in Portuguese) from Brasília – DF suspended the resolution that had been signed by the 9th Federal Bureau from DF in favour of the circus Le Cirque. The resolution suspended the decision of closing the circus and defined the return of the two chimpanzees and one hippopotamus seized after IBAMA’s operation four days before.
TRF analysed documents released by IBAMA after the inspection operation that resulted on the confiscation of the animals and also a report by GAP Project Brazil. Both documents showed unsafe instalation conditions and evidence of mistreating against the animals.
Besides, the Judge from the 3th Criminal Departament from Brasília, Dr. Waldir da Paz Almeida, has decided, based on similar documents, that the chimpanzees confiscated should be kept at the Ecological Sanctuary on Sorocaba (São Paulo countryside), affiliated to GAP Project. He has concluded that the circus was commiting ennvironmental crime, according to the Federal Law 9605/98 (Environmental Crimes Law).
As a result, it has been officially defined that the two chimpanzees confiscated are going to live on the sanctuary, where they were taken after IBAMA’s request.
Now it depends on the authorities in charge to put an end on the mistreating against the other animals that are still under the circus possession. On Friday, August 15th, the owners of Le Cirque ran away with the animals that were officially confiscated by IBAMA and this made it impossible for the Environmental Police to seize the animals, as it had been defined by the 3th Criminal Departament from Brasília.
MORE PROOF OF ANIMAL MISTREATING IN CIRCUS
Pony from Le Cirque dies at Brasilia Zoo; one camel and one elephant are in bad health conditionAugust, 27th 2008: One of the ten ponies that used to belong to the circus Le Cirque died yesterday after arriving at Brasilia Zoo. This sad episode is one more chapter of the recent enviornmental operation against the circus Le Cirque, that was intercepted by IBAMA two weeks ago because of clear evidence of animals’s mistreating.
The exact cause of the pony’s death is still unkonwn and one of the camels, named “Xuxa”, is also in very bad health condition. When Brazilian Federal Tribunal defined that all the animals of the circus should be confiscated to have a fair treatment, the owners of the circus ran away from Brasilia to Mato Grosso do Sul state.
Photo: Animals at the traillers during and after the road trip (by Campo Grande News)
The animals arrived there in very narrow and bad conserved trailers and were taken back to Brasilia under these same conditions, coming up against 35 hours of road trip. Apart from that, the circus owners took too much time to take the animals out of the trailers in Brasilia and IBAMA was only able to take the animals out and locate them at the zoo’s enclosures one day after they had arrived.
According to IBAMA, these situation could have been one of the causes of the pony’s death. And also, one can afirm that this is one more evidence of mistreating and lack of respect with the animals in Le Cirque. It’s worth to point out that one african elephant and one rhinoceront, who share the same trailer to be transported, are still in Mato Grosso do Sul. The elephant has one of his paws hurt and is very weak too.
MEASURES OF MISTREATING
How the animals were transported by the circus
3,28m long x 2,5m wide — 2 giraffes
2,84m long x 2,5m wide — 6 ponies and one zebra
How they used to live at the circus
Chimpanzees — between 2, 25m² and 3,75m²
The minimum recommended is 60m²
Elephants — 47m²
The minimum recommended is 1,5 mil m²
Source: “Correio Braziliense” newspaper
More information (in portuguese): http://www.correiobraziliense.com.br/html/sessao_13/2008/08/27/noticia_interna,id_sessao=13&id_noticia=27707/noticia_interna.shtml
