Ahead of Sankranti: HSI urges citizens to report cockfighting events

Hyderabad: Ahead of Sankranti festival, Humane Society International (HSI) India, an animal protection organisation, has urged citizens to report cockfighting.

Cockfighting is widely prevalent in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu during Sankranti despite the ban and warnings by police. Crores change hands as people bet big on the cockfights, which were banned in 2018 on the orders of the Supreme Court. In cockfights, two roosters, often fitted with razor-sharp curved blades on their spurs, are forced to fight each other to death. The fight ends with either one or both the roosters dying.

The winning rooster inevitably dies from grievous injuries sustained during the fight, the HSI said. HSI-India’s Managing Director, Alokparna Sengupta said, “Engaging in cockfighting not only inflicts immense suffering on animals, it exploits people too. HSI-India urges every individual to dissuade others from indulging in this inhuman and 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 prioritise compassion.”