COIMBATORE: One of the Jallikattu bulls from the popular Tamil film starring Kamal Haasan- Virumandi, is counting out his days at the Velliangiri Gaushala in the city.
The Kangeyam bull, weighing in at 1,000 kilograms and standing more than 5-feet tall was one of a few animals which were used in the movie. Though not the exact animal which tussled with Kamal Haasan in the movie, it did feature in the movie and is an extremely aggressive animal, the caretakers at the Gaushala told Express.
However, the animal has a sad story behind it. After the ban on Jallikattu last year, its owners had decided to sell it to a slaughterhouse. “We were informed of the sale of the animal and intervened before it was sold. We went to Avaniyapuram in Madurai and rescued it,” said S Nizamudeen, President of the Coimbatore Cattle Care Welfare Trust.
P Siva, the managing trustee of the Gaushala said that they had purchased the cow for a sum of `1.5 lakh and that the bull was over 20-years-old.
“The animal is very aggressive and does not let anyone approach. He has a particular poise which makes him stand out from the rest,” said Nizamudeen.
The Supreme Court’s decision to ban Jallikattu this year is expected to force more bull owners to sell their animals to slaughterhouses. In the Gaushala in
Coimbatore, there are 307 Jallikattu bulls, all bought and rescued before being sent for slaughter by their owners.