Earlier last month, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said he would take steps to denotify bulls from the list of performing animals so Jallikattu, a bull taming sport could be celebrated in Tamil Nadu. This would involve amendments to not only state but central rules and an overruling of a Supreme Court judgment banning the sport.
The case with Goa’s bull fighting sport, also referred to as dhirio is along similar lines, but Jallikattu and dhirio are two very different sports.
Norma Alvares, an animal activist who was instrumental in bringing the high court judgment banning the sport in 1997 says despite Goan politicians promising bull owners a change in the law, reality may be far from easy.
“Bull fighting is in violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act that clearly states two animals cannot be forced to fight. Dhirios amount to violation of Section 11 of this act. It is a central law and the ban has come from the High Court. The Supreme Court too dismissed the appeal bull owners had filed against the HC judgment. So for MLAs to say they will bring amendments in the state through the legislative assembly won’t work. They will have to take it to parliament and withholding the HC order, they will never pass it,” she said adding that it had been tried in the past but has failed miserably.
But in the state, bull owners and enthusiasts are looking to ministerial promises as a means of bringing the sport back.
Simon Caido grew up in a household that bred generations of bulls for fighting other bulls in his hometown of Goa Velha. He shows off his prized bull named Ben Hur who is “one of the best ones we have.” His scars serve as proud reminders of the fighter.
Caido says the sport has been around since the Portuguese reign but the ban had left them yearning for the game even more. “If a person with an M.Com or B.Com can take to boxing why not let a bull who isn’t even literate show his talent? It’s not that we don’t love these animals. We care and spend lots of money on feeding them and taking care of them. How then is that cruelty?” says Caido.
He however says since the ban, the only fights that do occur are if bulls come across each other while grazing the fields. “Ever since the ban, the bulls only lock horns if they meet another bull in the field and people gather in huge numbers to see this,” he says.
Contrary however to what Caido says, several networks of bull owners communicate with the public informing them of a possible fight through SMS and more recently through WhatsApp, most along the coasts of South Goa and many involving huge amounts of money.
The All Goa Bull Owners Association however maintains that if legalized, the sport will bring in huge revenue to the state.
“If a bill is passed and guidelines drafted, we will be able to properly make money from the sport. We will be able to create proper stadiums with ticketed events rather than in a field that would require a mato and other investments. Additionally it would also be an added attraction to the tourism sector in the state,” they said.
Alvares however says the sport only terrorizes the animal, a factor that cannot be overlooked for money.
Caido also insists that no bull has ever been registered as being hurt to the animal husbandry hospital and the minor wounds they do inflict is healed using cow dung. Ex director of the animal husbandry department who was relieved of his duty with the department last month says he could not recollect any incidents but did say that the government should look to the matter as being cruel to animals
