Bhopal, Feb 29: After learning that buffaloes are being forced to participate in fights until they are bloody, injured and exhausted, PETA sent an urgent letter to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, asking that the fights be stopped. The Animal Husbandry Department immediately directed the district administration to intercede to stop the illegal fights, in which countless bulls suffer and die.

In these horrific spectacles, bulls are put into rudimentary rings where they gouge each other with their horns and hooves. Spectators goad the animals, beat on drums and cymbals, and try to work the animals into a frenzy as they vie to win televisions, MP3 players or clocks. The bulls suffer serious injuries, and many of the animals die. The fights also put people at risk - the buffalo sometimes run amok, forcing spectators to run for safety.

These buffalo fights violate the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which specifically prohibits inciting animals to fight and organising animal fights.

"It is sad that these animals are made to suffer in the name of 'entertainment'", says PETA India campaigns coordinator Sachin Bangera. "You can see fear and confusion in the eyes of the buffalo as they try to flee."

Please find attached our letter to the Chief Minister for your kind perusal. For more information, please visit www.PETAIndia.com.