HYDERABAD, JAN 11   :   Ahead of Sankranti festival in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana , Humane Society International (HSI) India, an animal protection organisation, on Thursday urged citizens to report cockfighting.

Inciting animal fights or organizing animal fights is punishable by law, the organisation said in a statement here.

Cockfighting (Seval Sandai in Tamil, Kodi Pandem in Telugu) in India primarily takes place in January, coinciding with Makara Sankranti, However this year, Makara Sankranti slated on January 15.

Despite banning cock fights, the event is widely prevalent in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu during Sankranti. Crores of rupees change hands as people bet big on the cockfights.

The practice is widespread in coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, including Krishna, Guntur, East Godavari and West Godavari districts, despite being illegal in India.

Roosters are specially bred for cockfights, with knives and blades tied to their legs. The fight typically results in the death of one of the birds.

The event, which can last as long as three days, is organized during Sankranti, with each event drawing thousands of people.

In a 2019 investigation, The Washington Post called the practice the “Super Bowl of cockfighting”.
In cockfights, two roosters, often fitted with a razor-sharp curved blade on their spurs, are forced to fight each other to death. The fight ends with either one or both the roosters dying. The remaining rooster inevitably dies from grievous injuries sustained in the process, the release said.

HSI/India’s Managing Director Alokparna Sengupta said ‘Engaging in cockfighting not only inflicts immense suffering on animals, is linked with cockfights and exploits people. HSI/India urges every individual to dissuade others from indulging in this inhumane & unlawful activity and promptly inform the nearest police station of any cockfights being organised or conducted. This festive season, as we celebrate our harvest, let us prioritize compassion.”

Large audiences attend cockfighting events where bets ranging from a few thousand to crores of rupees are placed. Organizers set up large arenas on open plots, sometimes in grounds of schools, to accommodate fight-rings and viewing seats.The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 under Sections 11(1)(m)(ii) makes it an offence to incite animal fights. Organising, keeping, using, or acting in the management of any place for animal fighting or permitting or offering any place to be used for such a purpose is a cognizable offense under Section 11(1)(n) of the Act.

In addition to the cruelty inflicted on these birds, cockfighting events are intrinsically linked with gambling, and the arenas also serve as a focal point for various other illegal activities such as gambling and the sale of illicit liquor.

Cockfighting events use child labour and expose them to extreme violence against animals. The children are often made to deliver liquor from stalls at the animal fighting arenas.
“They are also made to defeather and butcher the dead/dying birds. Such activities have profound implications on their physical and mental well-being.

“It is also extremely dangerous for humans who are present at such illegal events. Last year, at two different places, two people succumbed to wounds caused by knives tied on the roosters. Several people are injured in the crowded arenas and fights that break out over the bets,” the organisation added.(UNI)