Correspondent, NewsCrunch
Hundreds of villages organised cockfights, defying an official ban, as part of traditional celebrations during Sankranti, a harvest festival, which concluded on January 17.
Thousands of people flocked to watch the illegal bloodsport that was widely held in the coastal districts of the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
On January 8, the State High Court had warned the officials to enforce the ban on cockfighting strictly.
Despite the heavy presence of officials and the police at the venues, there was no let-up in cockfighting, which has been opposed by several animal welfare organisations in India.
Activists say roosters’ suffer grievous injuries due to sharp knives tied to their legs before the fight.
The fight continues till one of roosters is killed or maimed.
Thousands of roosters – costing from USD 200 to USD 2,500 depending on breed – take part in these fights. Owners train their birds for several months, which are raised on a nutritious diet of almonds, cashews, minced meat and eggs.
N G Jayasimha, managing director of Human Society International, said: “Cockfighting is not only cruel to animals but also encourages gambling and child labour. A practice that glorifies illegal activities should have no place in a civil society.”
Cockfighting generates a revenue of USD 150 million to organisers with illegal betting contributing a major portion of it. Viewers can be seen placing bets on their favourite roosters without any fear from the police, who can usually be spotted in the vicinity.
Senior police officials said they made a serious attempt to enforce the ban and had arrested over 2,000 organisers and gamblers in just two districts of the state.
But media reports said official efforts failed to make any impact on the ground.
The districts were dotted with hundreds of cockfighting arenas, which had made seating arrangements for thousands of people coming from different parts of the state.
Eager organisers also showed reporters how they tied sharp knives to roosters’ legs and allowed filming of the fights as well.
Anjaneya Reddy, a resident of Bhimavaram said, “Cockfighting is part of our culture. It cannot be wished away with a law. It is stoo popular to be banned”
Hundreds of villages organised cockfights, defying an official ban, as part of traditional celebrations during Sankranti, a harvest festival, which concluded on January 17.
Thousands of people flocked to watch the illegal bloodsport that was widely held in the coastal districts of the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
On January 8, the State High Court had warned the officials to enforce the ban on cockfighting strictly.
Despite the heavy presence of officials and the police at the venues, there was no let-up in cockfighting, which has been opposed by several animal welfare organisations in India.
Activists say roosters’ suffer grievous injuries due to sharp knives tied to their legs before the fight.
The fight continues till one of roosters is killed or maimed.
Thousands of roosters – costing from USD 200 to USD 2,500 depending on breed – take part in these fights. Owners train their birds for several months, which are raised on a nutritious diet of almonds, cashews, minced meat and eggs.
N G Jayasimha, managing director of Human Society International, said: “Cockfighting is not only cruel to animals but also encourages gambling and child labour. A practice that glorifies illegal activities should have no place in a civil society.”
Cockfighting generates a revenue of USD 150 million to organisers with illegal betting contributing a major portion of it. Viewers can be seen placing bets on their favourite roosters without any fear from the police, who can usually be spotted in the vicinity.
Senior police officials said they made a serious attempt to enforce the ban and had arrested over 2,000 organisers and gamblers in just two districts of the state.
But media reports said official efforts failed to make any impact on the ground.
The districts were dotted with hundreds of cockfighting arenas, which had made seating arrangements for thousands of people coming from different parts of the state.
Eager organisers also showed reporters how they tied sharp knives to roosters’ legs and allowed filming of the fights as well.
Anjaneya Reddy, a resident of Bhimavaram said, “Cockfighting is part of our culture. It cannot be wished away with a law. It is stoo popular to be banned”