Ahilyanagar: Illegal Bullock Cart and Horse Race Prevented Following PETA India Complaint.
After receiving a tip-off from a whistleblower about an illegal bullock cart and horse race scheduled for 04 May 2025, PETA India swiftly alerted the Ahilyanagar Police, who intervened by warning the organisers and successfully preventing the event from being conducted. This resulted in numerous bulls and horses being spared from being subjected to cruelty. Following the warning, the organisers cancelled the scheduled race and circulated the message to the registered participants.
Horse and bull cart races inflict significant suffering on animals. Participants often force animals to run by striking them and using weapons, causing physical injuries and psychological trauma. These animals already face significant hardships when made to work and forcing them to endure being beaten and to run beyond the point of exhaustion is unacceptable. We commend Ahilyanagar Police, particularly Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Shrirampur, Shri Dr. Basavraj Shivpunje, for upholding the law and protecting bulls and horses from abuse.
Investigations conducted by PETA India reveal that during bullock cart races, bulls are often beaten with wooden sticks that are spiked with nails in order to get them to run faster in the sweltering heat and their tails are twisted and broken, causing them extreme pain and leaving them covered with blood.
Horses used for racing are forced to sprint – often under the threat of whips and even illegal electric-shocking devices – at speeds so fast they frequently sustain injuries and even haemorrhage from the lungs. In 2016, the Rajasthan High Court prohibited tonga races in Rajasthan after reviewing a report from the Animal Welfare Board of India. The report highlighted that horses suffer from cruelty when they are compelled to run amid noisy vehicles and loud spectators, causing them fear and distress.
