Kenyan performers in action and a rare elephant show at a circus. Telegraph pictures

Kendrapara, Feb. 18: The ban on using animals for public entertainment seems to have sounded the death knell for the circus industry. Thousands involved in this trade are now struggling to eke out a living.

“Taking animals off the shows has taken the sheen off circus but we are still running the show for a living. More than a dozen leading circus companies across the country have closed shops in the past five years. The day is not far when this popular form of entertainment will fade into oblivion,” said Assabuddin Choudhury, manager of the Assam-based Rhino Circus, which is currently holding circus shows in this township.

Choudhury said other factors, some of them beyond control of the circus management, have added woe to this already-woebegone tale. He said the advent of television had already spelt doom for the circus industry. The Centre’s decision to impose a blanket ban on wildlife shows was the last nail in the coffin.

Further, the escalating cost of maintenance of a circus unit has worsened things. So far as infrastructure is concerned, the investment in a unit is not less than Rs 5 crore. Irrespective of whether there is a show or not, the daily expenses are around Rs 20,000. “The expenditure involved in moving from one place to another is also very high. Moreover, the dearth of a ground for running month-long circuses has complicated things for us,” he said.

While the price of tickets has more or less remained the same since the past five years, the maintenance cost has gone up manifold.

“The bustling crowd that a circus drew in semi-urban towns is passe. Leading circus units from south India and Bengal such as, Kamal, Great Bombay, Bharat, Sangam and Great Indian Circus, have shut down and many others are reeling from a financial crisis.”

Dilip Bora, principal animal trainer of Rhino Circus, said the circus had been forced to part with six lions and five tigers after the prohibition order on animal shows came into effect in 2001.

“Guwahati zoo authorities took possession of the animals who died an untimely death a year later. We, at the circus, took better care than the government agencies,” Bora lamented, adding, “Now we are left with just one elephant and two pairs of horses.”

From time to time, the All India Circus Federation has made fervent pleas before the Centre for relaxation of the ban so that the waning industry could be revived.

“Our plea is that circus animals be handed back to the proprietors since that is the only option left to keep the show running. The government may undertake weekly supervision of caged circus animals to check whether or not they are being fed and taken care of in captivity. They could penalise the offenders if need be,” Bora said.