A bull-taming contest in India, called Jallikattu, has resulted in the goring deaths of at least five people this week, and more than 60 injuries. The event, which lasts for days and had been banned by the Supreme Court in 2014, has been allowed to proceed as of last year. Unlike bullfighting in Spain, where the animal is killed, the bulls in the Jallikattu are only supposed to be tamed.
According to BBC.com, the bull “is released from the pen and bullfighters are supposed to hold on to the animal’s hump for about 15-20 metres or three jumps of the bull to win the prize.” The report went on to say, “If no one succeeds, the bull wins. During the event, hundreds of men will run along with the bull, hold on to its hump and pluck away bundles of money or gold tied to its specially sharpened horns.”
But those sharpened horns can cause severe injuries, including the gorings that the event saw this year. The most recent death as a result of Jallikattu occurred in the Pudukottai district on Wednesday.
Animal activists take issue with the event, saying that some of the taming tactics, like pulling the bull’s tail, are cruel. But others say that the sport is important to maintain certain cultural traditions. Despite hundreds of participants and spectators being injured, trampled, or killed, Jallikattu remains a popular contest. It was revived following the governmental ban because of widespread protests.
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