4 months ago
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The archetypal yearly bull contention for 2026 play commenced successful Panamadangi, Sivanathapuram and Gudalavaripalli successful Vellore connected Friday with astatine slightest 150 bulls participating successful each of these villages.
Officials of the Department of Animal Husbandry, which monitors the exercise, said that 3 villages travel nether K.V. Kuppam, Anaicut and Gudiyatham taluks successful Vellore territory respectively.
Around 80 percent of full bull races were organised successful these taluks owed to the beingness of much farming villages wherever accepted mode of farming is inactive practiced. “Two veterinary teams person been deployed successful each bull contention colony to guarantee the information of animals. Police and firefighters were besides roped to forestall immoderate untoward incidents,” G. Anduvan, Assistant Director, Department of Animal Husbandry (Vellore), told The Hindu.
Vellore Collector V.R.Subbulaxmi has issued elaborate guidelines that person to beryllium followed for bull contention events successful the district. Around 80 villages successful Vellore volition organise the lawsuit till February - March successful presumption of forthcoming 2026 Assembly elections. On average, a bull contention volition beryllium held successful 3 villages each time but connected Sundays to forestall surging crowds to witnesser the event.
As per norms, bull races should beryllium held lone for 5 hours connected the main agelong successful the village. “A bull runs connected the mud track, astir 100 metre distance, and successful the shortest clip is declared the winner. Currently, bull owners successful Vellore person animals that screen the region successful 7 seconds,” said S. Vemban, a bull owner.
Senior veterinarians said that bulls should beryllium astatine slightest 2 years of property to enactment successful the race. Bulls should beryllium allowed lone to tally connected the runway successful the village. The runway is 100 metres agelong and 15 metres wide with six-feet-tall-wooden barricades connected some sides of it.
The runway should beryllium levelled with reddish soil up to 1 ft high. Ground level unfastened workplace wells wrong 5 kms radius of the contention spot should beryllium covered. Ambulances person besides kept acceptable to transport injured to the nearest veterinary hospital.
In Tirupattur and Ranipet, bull races volition beryllium held successful 40 villages and 2 villages respectively successful the coming days. Traditionally, the signifier of organizing bull races is not followed successful Tiruvannamalai, officials said.
