Videotape bull races, say animal welfare board’s new guidelines

NEW DELHI: New Jallikattu guidelines issued on Friday night by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) for this season’s bull races want the event videotaped and a ceiling on its timing and age of the calves.

The guidelines, which build on those issued by the Tamil Nadu government, say the races should be held between 9am and 5pm, the bulls should be between the ages of three and 15 years, and all bulls, bullocks, bull owners and participants will have to be insured. The instructions are not mandatory but not following them could be construed as animal abuse and would be punishable under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act.

“It is a very sensitive issue, we will not tolerate violations of the (Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Act,” SP Gupta, chairperson of the AWBI, said, adding, “At the same time, we don’t want to hurt sentiments of the people.”

The AWBI is in touch with district administration officials to form inspection teams that will visit the venue of every race. The teams will videotape the events and make sure the new guidelines are followed. In a landmark judgment in 2014, the Apex court banned the use of bulls in races, while hearing a petition against Jallikattu, noting that “use of bulls in such events severely harmed animals and constituted an offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to the Animals Act”.

States have the power to enact laws on the subject as long as they do not violate central laws. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act prohibits the use of animals for entertainment or display. However, animals considered “performance animals,” are exempt from these protections.

Animal activists, however, are not convinced the guidelines will help. “In 2017, 15 people and seven bulls died in so-called ‘regulated’ jallikattu events,” Nikunj Sharma, public policy lead at animal rights body PETA India, said.