In India, the organisers of an illegal cockfight in India have gone on the run after a man was killed by his cock last week.
In the bizarre incident which occured in the Karimnagar district of Telangan, the rooster which had a knife attached to its leg inadvertently killed its owner when it slashed him in the groin while trying to escape.
He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency medical attention. However, the owner of the cock died from the loss of blood before he could make it to the hospital.
Local police officer B Jeevan told AFP that the now deceased is reported to be one of the 16 people who had organised the cockfight in the village of Lothunur.
Following the bizarre accident, the rooster was briefly held at the local police station. It was later released and sent to a poultry farm.
Speaking on the manhunt for the organisers of the illegal cockfight, Jeevan said, “We are searching for the other 15 people involved in organising the illegal fight,”
The organisers could face charges of manslaughter, illegal betting and hosting a cockfight.
This is not the first time that a rooster has killed its owner before a cockfight.
In January last year, Saripalli Chanavenkateshwaram Rao’s rooster cut his throat with the blades attached to its feet on the way to an illegal cockfighting event in India’s state of Andhra Pradesh. The father of three was taken to the hospital where he suffered a stroke and died.
Cockfights are banned but still common in rural areas of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Odisha states – particularly around the Hindu festival of Sankranti.
Specially bred roosters have 7.5cm (3in) knives or blades tethered to their legs and punters bet on who will win the gruesome fight. Thousands of roosters die each year in the battles which, despite the efforts of animal rights groups, attract large crowds.
India is not the only country with this particular problem: Illegal cockfighting — and the gambling that draws people to the “sport” are popular in many countries across the world.
