Here at Australian Casino Sites, our main focus is providing relevant news and reviews on virtual casinos serving Aussie punters. However, an unrelated story occasionally comes along that’s bizarre enough to demand inclusion. This is one such example.

Our tale is set in Telangana, a southern state in India with a population of more than 35 million. More specifically, it takes place in the village of Lothunur. Population: 1,574.

Despite cockfighting being banned throughout India since 1960, a group of individuals organized an event in the village. One such person was 45-year-old resident Thangulla Satish, although he wouldn’t live to regret the decision.

Murder Most Fowl

Mr. Satish was preparing one of his roosters (name unknown) for an upcoming fight. As is common in most matches, the gamecock wore a blade (known as a “gaff”) on his talons. In this case, the gaff was 7.62 centimetres long and razor sharp.

Without warning, the bird escaped the grasp of his owner and attempted to flee. Mr. Satish made an effort to subdue the gamecock, but the creature began to flutter its wings in a panic.

That’s when things turned gruesome. According to police officer B. Jeevan, “Satish was hit by the rooster’s knife in his groin and started bleeding heavily.”

Unfortunately, there’s a good chance that the blade pierced the femoral artery. The intense bleeding wouldn’t stop, and Satish died of blood loss before he could be rushed to the hospital.

On the Search for His Accomplices

While Satish paid the ultimate price for his folly, authorities are still on the lookout for his accomplices. According to Officer Jeevan, “We are searching for the other 15 people involved in organising the illegal fight.”

If caught, the accomplices will face charges such as illegal gambling and manslaughter. Ultimately, they could face prison time up to two years.

Nobody Here But Us Chickens

So what happened to the gamecock? Fortunately, he was not charged with a crime, as it would be rather difficult to prove whether or not he intended to kill Satish. And even if they could, there would be a strong case to be made for a plea of self-defence.

Instead, he was placed in police custody for a short while, followed by a trip to a poultry farm. The police are keeping a close eye on his whereabouts in case he needs to return to court and serve as evidence. I’m also hoping he’ll be called as a witness, but that’s unlikely given his inability to speak.

A sharpened blade, known as a

A Persistent Problem

Cockfighting, which dates back over 6,000 years, remains popular in India despite being banned in 1960. It’s common during the January festival of Sankranti, and it’s most prevalent in the rural areas of states such as Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana.

While slowly becoming outlawed around the globe, cockfighting can still be found away from the disapproving eyes of police and animal cruelty activists. There’s a great deal of money to be made via gambling, after all, and it provides the social interaction that many participants crave.

“Cockfighting has been around for thousands of years. Back in the days, there used to be cockfights between kingdoms. It’s a part of our lives,” said Raghurama Krishna Raju, a political leader who has campaigned to legalize the practice in Andhra Pradesh. “For many people, rearing birds for fights is their only source of income. It’s a great sport, but the knives do add the element of cruelty. Without knives, it should be an acceptable sport,” he claimed.

But the danger of the blood sport should never be forgotten. Besides the thousands of roosters who die each year, hapless humans can also fall prey to the gaffs. In 2023, for example, a man died in Andhra Pradesh after being stabbed in the neck by a blade-wielding rooster. In 2010, a West Bengal man bled out after his jugular vein was opened up by his cockerel.

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