CHENNAI: The Madras High Court’s recent order that prohibited the participation of hybrid bulls in jallikattu will not affect the smooth conduct of the sport, according to jallikattu enthusiasts. The order evoked mixed reactions from pro-jallikattu groups, and officials from the Animal Husbandry department said the order is being looked into. During the hearing in court, the State government favoured permitting cross-breed bulls in the sport, and said jallikattu events cannot be held exclusively for native breeds.
T Rajesh, State president, Veera Vilayattu Meetpu Kazhagam, said Jersey and other cross-breed varieties are stud animals and are not suitable for jallikattu. “Hybrid bulls won’t move fiercely into the jallikattu arena, and it is also difficult for participants to embrace them as they have a tiny hump,” he said.
Following a Supreme Court order, jallikattu was not conducted in 2015 and 2016. This led to massive protests in the State in 2017, following which the bull-embracing/taming sport was legalised. Rajesh claimed the proportion of hybrid bulls in jallikattu has increased to 10 per cent in the last few years.
“If over 500 bulls participate in an event, 50-60 would be hybrid bulls. The owner of a hybrid bull won a car at the Alanganallur jallikattu last year. If the trend continues, bull owners will be reluctant to rear native breeds, and this would result in the commercialisation of jallikattu,” Rajesh added.
However, Tamil Nadu Jallikattu Peravai, a prominent pro-jallikattu group, said there was no increased participation of hybrid breeds, and claimed the issue was blown out of proportion by people with vested interests. Its president, P Rajasekaran, said hardly one per cent of cross breeds participate in jallikattu. “The price of a four-month-old native bull calf was Rs 6,000 till 2014, but went up to Rs 25,000-30,000 since 2017. Thousands of youngsters are showing interest in rearing native bulls,” he asserted.
Rajasekaran added that only under exceptional circumstances do participants engage non-native breeds. “Regardless of the State government’s decision, jallikattu will be conducted smoothly as usual,” he said.
A senior official from the Animal Husbandry Department said the court order is being studied.