A rooster equipped with a knife for an illegal cockfight in southern India has killed its owner. This caused a chase on the organizers of the event, police said.
The officer attached a knife to his leg that was ready to take on an opponent when he contracted the groin as he tried to escape. The man died of blood loss before he could reach a hospital in the Karimnagar district in the state of Telangana earlier this week, local police officer B Jeevan told AFP.
The man was among 16 people who organized the cockfight in the town of Lothunur when the freak accident occurred, Jeevan said. The rooster was briefly detained at the local police station before being sent to a poultry farm.
“We are looking for the other 15 people involved in arranging the illegal fight,” Jeevan said. They could face charges of manslaughter, illegal engagement and hosting a cockfight.
Cockfights are banned but are still common in rural areas of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Odisha – especially around the Hindu festival of Sankranti. Specially bred roosters have 7.5 cm (3 inch) knives or blades tied to their legs, and bettors bet on who will win the gruesome battle. Thousands of roosters die every year in the battles that, despite the efforts of animal rights groups, attract large crowds.