Cockfighting is a fashionable game for the tribal people under Mahakalapada block during the winter season. It is a popular medium of entertainment to pass the chilly evening hours.
Pay a visit to Arun Nagar, Pandarmaili, Baghuameda, Jamboo, Kandarpatua, lunimathia, Suniti and Prabhakarpur in a chilly winter evening these days and you would see cockfighting being staged at these places amid huge turnout of revellers.
In a cock fight, crowd gathers to see bred roosters, called gamecocks, pitted against each other with sharp razors or blades attached to their legs. later, the cocks are left to fight.
The birds plunge and slash each other in a deadly duel. They inflict deep puncture wounds, while their wings and legs are broken and eyes gouged out. A cockfight usually results in the death of one of the birds or both, said a wildlife activist.
“The fighting ground is either barricaded or circled with ropes. People keep bets, ranging from Rs5 to Rs300. Those who put bets on the cock that wins share the cash. The owner of victorious bird also receives due share of the betting. He also has the right to take away the vanquished cock,” said Bhuban Das, an enthusiast of the sport.
People do not find anything wrong in it. The game is popular in the remote coastal hamlets of Mahakalapada block for last several decades during winter. Every year, the cock fight occurs in the coastal pockets of Mahakalapada block from Prathamasthami to Makar Sankranti and people from all age groups gather to watch the game with great excitement, added Das.
People from the nearby Bengali-dominated villages and adjoining panchayats come to watch the cockfight. Because of huge gathering, local business also picks up during the days when cockfights are held, said local residents.
However, wildlife lovers have decried the cockfight games on the ground of cruelty to the birds. “Such practice of cockfighting is purely illegal and unlawful. Engaging birds in such games goes against the rules of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. As betting stakes are also involved, it also violates the Prevention of Gambling Act,” said an environmentalist.