John Abraham
John Abraham, actor and former People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India Person of the Year, has sent an urgent letter on behalf of the group to BookMyShow Founder and CEO Ashish Hemrajani, calling on him to cease all ticket sales to circuses with animal acts and to enact a policy promoting animal-free entertainment only.
A copy of the letter is available here.
The e-ticketing platform currently sells tickets to Rambo Circus, which was recently slapped with a first information report by Pune city police based on the findings of a PETA India investigation. The investigation revealed that the circus forces dogs to perform unregistered tricks, such as jumping through hoops and atop a flagpole, and that a performer held two fish between his teeth, swallowed the fish alive, and regurgitated them into a bowl of water. Later, Rambo Circus admitted to using the fish illegally.
“Many circuses worldwide now put on shows featuring only willing human performers,” writes Abraham. “When animals are used as entertainment props, these sentient beings are deprived of the lives they were meant to live, and they often endure needless pain and suffering, confined to inadequate housing and forced to perform frightening, confusing tricks under threat of physical punishment.”
PETA India notes that BookMyShow also previously promoted the Ajanta Circus, against which the Animal Welfare Board of India recently sought action for using animals without the required certification.
“I hope that you will not side with cruelty and that BookMyShow will do the right thing by implementing a policy to not promote, sell, or permit the sale of tickets for circuses that use animals,” concludes Abraham.
Abraham’s past work for PETA India includes speaking up for monkeys forced to dance in Mumbai, calling on authorities to clamp down on illegal pig slaughter in Goa, and starring in a campaign urging everyone not to keep birds in cages.
