Bulls pulling chariot ‘not mistreated’

Temple trustee: Each pulled it for less than 1km

GEORGE TOWN: A total of 26 bulls were on hand to pull the Thaipusam chariot, taking turns in pairs throughout the 7km procession, according to the Nattukottai Chettiar Temple.

Its trustee A.L. Lakshmanan said the animals were treated with respect and each pair pulled the silver chariot for less than a kilometre before the next pair took over.

Responding to an outcry over animal rights following a viral video of two bulls struggling to pull the 124- year- old chariot, Lakshmanan maintained that the temple hads always treated the animals humanely.

The minute-long video showed two white bulls struggling to break the inertia and get the wheels of the chariot rolling.

The chariot would not budge at first, and the pair rested for about 10 seconds before trying again, with a man standing behind them with a bullwhip.

It took the bulls about 30 seconds to get the chariot moving.

According to the website of Nattukottai Chettiar, 500kg of iron, 625kg of silver and 6500kg of teak were used to build the chariot.

After former DAP member Shamsher Singh Thind lodged a police report alleging mistreatment of the bulls, veterinary enforcers visited the temple yesterday.

State Veterinary officer Dr Nabilah Abd Talib said the team would check on all the bulls and prepare a report for the department’s headquarters in Putrajaya.

Lakshmanan said the temple co-operated fully with the veterinary enforcers.

“We explained to the four officers how the bulls were used and how the wheels had ball-bearings which would move smoothly once the bulls give a ‘jerk’ before pulling.

“We have been running the procession for 126 years and the bulls are given to us by a few owners in Penang.

“They don’t charge us as it is done as a service to God and they have never complained of our treatment of the bulls,” he said.

On complaints that there were at least 11 men atop the chariot which would be weighty for the bulls, Lakshmanan said only a maximum of six were allowed at any one time.

“There were several who climbed up the chariot to replace the earlier group of people and the video was taken at that moment,” he added.