Cockfight Breeders Resort to Performance-Enhancing Drugs, Administer Viagra and Shilajit to Boost Roosters Ahead of Sankranti Festival
As the Sankranti festival approaches, a concerning trend has emerged among cockfight breeders in rural Andhra Pradesh. In an attempt to counteract the effects of a viral disease known as “Ranikhet”, breeders are administering performance-enhancing substances, including Viagra and other steroid-laced foods, to their roosters.
Amravati, January 7: As the Sankranti festival approaches, a concerning trend has emerged among cockfight breeders in rural Andhra Pradesh. In an attempt to counteract the effects of a viral disease known as “Ranikhet”, breeders are administering performance-enhancing substances, including Viagra, Shilajit and other steroid-laced foods, to their roosters.
Cockfights, a traditional part of Sankranti celebrations, are held predominantly in undivided Guntur, Krishna, and the two Godavari districts. With the festival falling on January 14, 15, and 16 this year, thousands of illegal cockfight arenas have already been established in the state’s interiors. These arenas witness trained roosters engaging in deadly fights, with spectators placing bets on the winning bird, leading to the exchange of hundreds of crores of rupees. Rajasthan Shocker: Puppy Made to Consume Alcohol in Sawai Madhopur, Probe Launched After Video Goes Viral.
According to a report in TOI, the Ranikhet disease has left many roosters weak and unfit for fights. With Sankranti fast approaching, some breeders have resorted to feeding the birds Shilajit, Viagra 100, and vitamins to “revitalise” them. However, veterinary experts warn that these hormone-boosting drugs could cripple the birds in the long run and result in harmful mutations when such poultry is consumed by humans. UP Horror: Two Youth in Bareilly Cut Off Ear, Tail of Puppies in Influence of Alcohol; Absconding.
The use of human aphrodisiacs in birds is a new and concerning development, and it remains unclear whether these drugs genuinely enhance the fighting spirit of the roosters.
Breeders justify their actions by citing the difficulty in finding quality fighting cocks after the poultry industry was hit by Ranikhet and chronic respiratory diseases. They claim that the drugs, fed just before the fight, have so far yielded encouraging results.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 07, 2024 04:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).