Ahead of Makar Sankranti on January 14, 15 and 16, breeders in Andhra Pradesh are dosing competitive roosters, which engage in cockfights during the festival, with steroids, energy boosters and performance-enhancing drugs like Viagra and Shilajit among other vitamins.
Cockfights held in numerous illegal arenas are an integral part of Sankranti celebrations in rural parts of the state. In a highly competitive environment, roosters engage in “fights to the death” and people place bets ranging in crores of rupees. But, a viral disease called ‘Ranikhet’ has dimmed the prospects of champion roosters.
According to a report published by Times of India, breeders in the state are tackling the effects of the disease by feeding their birds these hormone-boosting drugs to “revitalise” them for the upcoming matches. But, experts have warned that these drugs not only harm the birds in the long run but also lead to harmful mutations in humans. Breeders, however, are claiming that the results of these drugs have been encouraging so far.
The ToI report stated that cockfights are mostly organised in the undivided Guntur, Krishna and the two Godavari districts.
Why are the birds being fed these drugs?
The ToI report, based on an investigation, stated that the viral disease ‘Ranikhet’ has left roosters in Andhra Pradesh weak and not in the right condition to fight. Hence, breeders are using a shortcut to “revitalise” the birds by feeding them Shilajit, Viagra 100 and vitamins.
Veterinary experts, however, said these hormone-boosting drugs may keep the birds on a high for a short time but will cripple them in the long run. Not only this, if such poultry is consumed by humans, they can cause harmful mutations.
The ToI investigation found out that many breeders are feeding these drugs, which are meant as aphrodisiacs or hormone stimulants for humans, to birds for the first time. The breeders are unclear on their effects and whether they will enhance the performance of the birds at all. But, they said it had become difficult to find good-quality fightercocks after ‘Ranikhet’ and chronic respiratory diseases hit the industry.
“We spent a fortune on saving the fighting breed of birds from the disease. But what we found was that the birds are now lacking in strength. This is the shortcut to make the birds ready for Sankranti,” a breeder told ToI.
The breeder further told the publication that the weight and mobility of a bird play a significant role in cockfights. “The drugs are fed just before the fight for better results. We have been conducting tests and so far the results have been encouraging,” he was quoted as saying.
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