80 Doctors Petition to Stop Jallikattu Over Covid-19 Risk

As countries around the world impose new safety guidelines in response to rising COVID-19 cases and the threat of the omicron variant, PETA India has revealed that 80 medical doctors have appealed to Chief Minister Thiru MK Stalin and Thiru Ma Subramanian, the minister of health, medical education, and family welfare, not to allow jallikattu events, as these potentially super-spreader spectacles pose a grave health risk to the public.

Since the Tamil Nadu government legalised jallikattu in 2017, at least 22 bulls and 69 humans have reportedly died, while more than 4,696 humans have been injured. PETA India has documented extreme cruelty to bulls during these events, which are attended by up to thousands of people. Video footage of 2021 events show masses of unmasked people in close proximity, conditions ripe for the spread of COVID-19, particularly the easily transmissible omicron variant. PETA India’s extensive video footage shows that during jallikattu, participants force terrified bulls into the arena by biting their tails, yanking their nose ropes, and jabbing them with weapons. The panicked bulls often slam into humans and barricades, often breaking their bones or dying.