Telangana: Huge demand for fighter cocks as Sankranti nears

The roosters bred for fighting are costing from Rs 10, 000 to Rs 1 lakh each. Roosters with an age of one and half year to two year are usually used for cock fighting

Kothagudem: As the organisers of cockfighting are gearing up for Sankranti festival the demand for fighter roosters is going up in erstwhile Khammam district.

Though illegal, cockfighting events are organised on Telangana and Andhra Pradesh borders at Bhadrachalam, Dammapet, Aswaraopet, Sathupalli, Mulakalapalli in Telangana. In AP cockfighting events take place on a grand scale at border areas like Kukkunoor, Velerpadu, Seethanagaram, Tiruvuru during three days of Sankranti.

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The roosters bred for fighting are costing from Rs 10, 000 to Rs 1 lakh each. Roosters with an age of one and half year to two year are usually used for cock fighting. Nearly Rs 20, 000 to Rs 30, 000 would be spent on rearing the fighter roosters, said Srinivas, a breeder at Mulakalapalli.

According to him the roosters used for fighting are classified into four categories such as Nemali (multi-colour), Kaki (black), Dega (red) and Kodi (white) going by the colour of the bird. There are also sub categories like Rasangi, Abrasi and Parla.

Betting ranges from Rs 10, 000 to Rs 50 lakh on each fight depending on the financial status of the persons. Highest bids are made at places like Bhimavaram in AP as cash rich men gather there to place bets.

A week before Sankranti those organising cockfights scout around for the best birds with good size and stamina, which depend on the food the birds are fed with. Usually those rearing the roosters meant for cockfight feed them with almonds, mutton kheema, cereals, cashew and boiled eggs, he explained.

There are persons rearing fighter roosters at Bhadrachalam, Dammapet, Aswaraopet, Sathupalli, Mulakalapalli and others in Kothagudem district as well as places like Sathupalli and others in Khammam district. The cockfight organisers visit weekly markets or contact the breeders personally to buy the roosters.