Only Native Bulls Will Be Permitted In Jallikattu While Foreign Breeds Are Not Allowed To Compete In Madras High Court

Jalikattu is a bull-taming sport in which an athlete must cling to or grasp a running bull for a predetermined amount of time and distance. If indeed the man manages to keep hold of the bull, he wins the competition; if the bull manages to separate the athlete from it's own, the animal wins. Even though they had well-defined and huge humps linked with their front legs, native breed bulls as the boy indicus are ideally suited for this sport.

While foreign breed or crossbreed bulls were utilised, it was noted up that they had a massive body and a tiny crest, making it difficult for the participants to hold to the ridge. Non-native bulls had a proclivity to trample and crush players on the field, which constituted another danger. Furthermore, players could only hold on to the hump, not the tails or horns. Bull owners, on the other hand, began to use foreign breeds or crossbreed bulls to boost their likelihood of victory, and such foreign bulls won the title in the years 2019 and 2020 at Alanganallur, Madurai.

It's worth noting that the Supreme Court outlawed Jallikattu in 2014, citing it as an act of animal abuse. Since 2017, however, the sport has been legalised because to an ordinance passed by the state legislature and a subsequent law.

The court ruled that since seeking to engage in the sport, a certification from the Animal Husbandry department designating a bull as a native one must be submitted. It also requested the government to provide subsidies or opportunities to bull owners and farmers who nurture native breeds. It was also said that steps must be taken to prevent artificial insemination of animals, that would prevent voiceless animals their right to reproduce.