NGO Urges Public to Shun Illegal Cockfighting This Makar Sankranti

The organisation has also appealed to the people to report any instances of cockfighting to local police authorities.

In a cockfight, two roosters, often fitted with razor blades on their spurs and are forced to fight each other to death.

The fight usually ends with the death of one or both roosters.

Still prevalent in some parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Odisha, cockfighting is a punishable offence under several laws.

As per the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, under Section 11(1)(m)(ii), it is illegal to incite animal fights.

The act of organising, managing, or even offering a space for such fights is also a cognisable offence under Section 11(1)(n).

In addition to these violations, cockfighting events are often linked to illegal gambling and the sale of illicit liquor and child labour, all prohibited practices.

"It's horrifying that this still happens, and no festival or celebration can ever justify it. I have seen the fear in their eyes, the desperation in their movements, and it is gut-wrenching. The birds are terrified, trembling as they are forced to face each other. Some are bleeding from previous fights, still they are forced to fight, completely bloodied and struggling for their lives," said Mishi Aggarwal, cruelty response specialist at Humane World for Animals India, in a statement on Monday.

"This isn't entertainment -- it's deliberate cruelty, inflicted for gambling and amusement. Every citizen has a responsibility to speak up, to refuse to participate and to report anyone involved," she added.

Shreya Paropkari, legal consultant at Humane World for Animals India, said that cockfighting fuels an organised cycle of violence and exploitation.

Gambling and betting, an intrinsic part of this violent practice, often wipes out a farmer's or labourer's annual income, leaving families trapped in debt, with women bearing the worst of its consequences.

Children are engaged at these illegal arenas to sell/deliver liquor, and pluck half-dead birds, slaughter them, normalising cruelty at a young age.

The organisation has been working for more than a decade to end the cruel practice of cockfighting by collaborating with the police and local communities to raise awareness about its cruelty and illegality.

In 2016, the Andhra Pradesh High Court reiterated and emphasised the ban on cockfights on the basis that these events glorify violence and that it is common to observe roosters being forced to cut each other with knives, resulting in severe loss of blood and grievous injury.

The High Court said that the event itself illegal under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, and desensitises people to the immense pain and suffering of these animals.

- IANS