By IANS
Bhopal : The Madhya Pradesh government has banned buffalo fights held in the state during the festive season, a government source said Saturday.
In a letter written to the joint director, veterinary services, Ujjain, the Madhya Pradesh animal husbandry department has said that such “shows” should be stopped and action taken under Prevention of Animal Cruelty Act 1960.
“These buffalo fights violate the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which specifically prohibits inciting animals to fight and organising animal fights.”
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had written to the chief minister in November 2007 urging him to take steps to check such fights in which the buffaloes were being forced to participate until they were bloody, injured and exhausted.
To prove their point, PETA also enclosed clippings of newspapers from Ujjain where most such fights were organised by the Yadav Samaj on the occasion of Dusshera.
“In these horrific spectacles, bulls are put into rudimentary rings where they gouge each other with their horns and hooves”, PETA India campaigns coordinator Sachin Bangera told IANS by phone from Mumbai.
“Spectators goad the animals, beat on drums and cymbals, and try to work the animals into a frenzy as they vie to win televisions, MP3 players or clocks while buffalos suffer serious injuries and many of them die. The fights also put people at risk as the buffaloes sometimes run amok, forcing spectators to run for safety,” he said.