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Cockfighting

The Times of India

Jan 13 2015

Ban on cock fight in AP to continue till further order: SC

The Supreme Court kept in place the ban on ‘cock-fighting’, a popular sport in rural coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, while requesting the high court to decide afresh the legality of the game. A bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu asked the high court to examine the issue in light of the apex court’s earlier judgment banning ‘jallikattu’, or bull-taming sport, in Tamil Nadu.

The apex court had held that the manner in which scared bulls were made to run, sometimes after administration of intoxicants, it amounted to cruelty under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

The SC set aside the HC order banning cock-fighting as the basis for the judgment was not forthcoming.

Till the time the HC decides the legality of cock-fighting, the SC kept in place an interim ban on it while setting aside the HC judgment banning it. “We set aside the order of the HC and refer the issue back to the HC to decide the issue afresh in light of apex court earlier order,” it said while directing maintenance of status quo.

A group of people had approached the apex court against the HC order saying that it was a traditional game which should be permitted.

Cockfighting in Andhra Pradesh

The Times of India Jan 11 2016

Samdani MN

Guntur

Believe it or not, cockfight organisers in rural Andhra Pradesh spend anything upward of Rs 2 lakh a year to feed each bird to prepare it for the bloody sport. Though illegal, it is a mega sport in the countryside during Sankranti and the stakes run into hundreds of crores of rupees.

The West Godavari district leads the cockfight `industry' with people spending about Rs 200 crore on betting.Neighbouring Krishna and Guntur districts follow. With such high stakes, the organisers do not leave any stone unturned in preparing the birds. They are fed almonds, cashews and minced mutton (keema) and injected with muscle-building hormones and antibiotics so that they can withstand injuries during the fight.

Cockfighting is prohibited under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and the Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act, 1974. Bird lovers oppose cockfight events as thousands of roosters die, while cockfight enthusiasts describe this as a “traditional sport“.

Rearing of `fighter' cocks involves huge costs. “We offer several types of nutritious food that make the bird ready to take on anyone and help its owner make quick money ,“ said a poultry assistant in volved in rearing of fighting birds in Guntur district. The day begins before sunrise when the birds are fed almonds, cashews, and pulses.An hour later, they would be fed keema. The feed is a balanced diet and a veterinarian takes care of the birds. Then they are fed boiled eggs and in the evening some dry fruits and cereals.

The birds are trained daily. The poultry assistant would keep an eye on the health of the birds and administer hormone injections to make them more ferocious.

Anticipating heavy demand for `fighter' cocks, punters have set up their own farms in and around Guntur city. Earlier, punters from Guntur, Krishna, Prakasam and Nellore used to visit West Godavari to purchase the battle-ready roosters. Some of the birds command a price of Rs 4 lakh each.

“It may sound bizarre to hear someone buying a rooster weighing four to five kg for Rs 4 lakh. But it's worth it. If the bird wins the fight, it brings in a lot more money . The stakes are quite high,“ argues P Nagaraju of Pedakakani village in Guntur. He says these cocks help the organisers earn almost 10 times the investment.

`Specialists' are hired to tie a blade to the bird's limbs as it is the ultimate weapon to chop off the rival bird in the bloody sport. The birds are categorised as Dega (eagle), Kaaki (crow), Pearl and Nemali (peacock). The names are indicative of their skills and abilities. Dega cocks are said to be more ferocious during noon hours, while the `peacock' would fight down the rival in the evening.