A rooster armed with a knife in an illegal cockfight in southern India killed its owner, sparking a hunt for the event’s organizers, police said.
The bird had a knife attached to its leg ready to face an opponent when it inflicted serious injuries on the man’s groin while trying to escape, officials said. The man died of blood loss before arriving at a hospital in the district of Karimnagar in Telangana state earlier this week, local police officer B Jeevan told AFP.
The man was among the 16 people who organized the cockfight in the village of Lothunur when the accident occurred, said Jeevan. The rooster was briefly detained at the local police station before being sent to a farm.
“We are looking for the other 15 people involved in organizing the illegal fight,” said Jeevan. They can be charged with manslaughter, illegal gambling and cockfighting.
Cockfights are prohibited, but are still common in rural areas in the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Odisha – particularly around the Hindu festival of Sankranti. Specially bred roosters have 7.5 cm (3 in.) Knives or blades strapped to their legs and punters bet on who will win the horrific fight. Thousands of roosters die each year in battles that, despite the efforts of animal advocacy groups, attract large crowds.