Since January 2017, jallikattu has killed at least 10 bulls and 26 humans.
The Supreme Court banned jallikattu in May 2014 because it causes unnecessary suffering to bulls and violates The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and the constitutional requirement of all Indian citizens to have compassion for animals.
Yet in January 2017, the state of Tamil Nadu passed the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act, 2017, to permit jallikattu again – a decision PETA is now challenging in the Supreme Court. PETA’s eyewitnesses investigated jallikattu events that took place in Avaniapuram, Palamedu, Alanganallur, Thirunallur, and Maravapatti between 5 and 12 February 2017 and documented profuse cruelty to animals and flagrant disregard for the public’s safety and the law.
Watch what PETA found during our latest investigation here:
Bulls' tails were twisted and bitten
Especially in the vaadi vaasal, participants and even sometimes the police tried to instigate and provoke the bulls into survival, or “fight”, mode by mercilessly hitting the animals’ faces with their hands and sticks and twisting and biting bulls’ tails.
Collapsed bulls and others were yanked by nose ropes – causing bleeding
Frenzied participants handled animals roughly and painfully yanked their nose ropes, often leaving open wounds gushing with blood. Bulls who had collapsed from exhaustion, dehydration, or injury were pulled up by their nostrils and forced to take part.
Jallikattu participants broke bulls' tailbones
Jallikattu participants broke bulls’ tailbones at each joint, which is as painful to the animals as it would be to us if someone were to break our fingers joint by joint.
Jallikattu Also Hurts Humans
According to media reports, 15 people and five bulls died during jallikattu events held from January to June 2017 and nearly 2,000 spectators and participants were injured. The numbers continue to rise as more events take place. These figures are considered conservative because bull deaths and injuries often go unreported.
