Vijaywada (Andhra Pradesh): Desperate cock breeders in Andhra Pradesh’s Vijaywada are resorting to administering aphrodisiacs like Shilajeet and Viagra to enhance the performance of their roosters for the upcoming cockfight season, media reported.

There is intense competition in cockfighting and the contenders need to be in perfect health and vigour to shine at these events.

However, most of the participants have been hit by a viral disease, Ranikhet, leaving their owners anxious about the possibility of lacklustre performance, especially with Sankranti around the corner, reported the Times of India.

Cockfight is an important part of Sankranti festivities and is popular in undivided Guntur, Krishna and two Godavari districts.

With Sankranti falling on January 14 and celebrations going on till the 16th, illegal cockfighting arenas have already sprung up in the interior regions of the state where roosters fight unto death as onlookers bet money on the bird they root to win, the report said.

A lot is at stake for the breeders as hundreds of crores of rupees change hands centring the illegal contests.

In a bid to revitalise the weak and unhealthy birds, some breeders have fed them Shilajit, Viagra 100, and vitamins, as a quick fix ahead of the Sankranti fighting season, reported the Times of India.

Cock breeders induces hormone-boosting drugs into roosters for a boosted vitality. Photo Courtesy: Suryodoy Mondal

While these roosters may feel a temporary boost in vitality, veterinary professionals caution that the use of hormone-boosting drugs could not only adversely affect the long-term well-being of the birds but also lead to mutations that pose potential harm when such poultry is consumed by humans, according to the report.

An investigation by STOI revealed that numerous breeders are indiscriminately administering aphrodisiacs meant for human use, it said.

Although these hormone-stimulating drugs are being given to birds for the first time, it remains unclear whether such substances genuinely enhance the fighting spirits of roosters in cockfighting.

Explaining why they have resorted to drugs like Viagra, a breeder told the Times of India that were unable to source high-quality fighting cocks following the attack of "Ranikhet" disease and chronic respiratory diseases on the poultry industry.

The breeder said they spent a fortune on saving the fighting breed of birds from the disease but even after recovery the birds now lack in strength and the weight of a bird and its mobility play a significant role in cockfights, according to the Times of India report.

He added that the aphrodisiacs and vitamins were a shortcut to make the birds ready for Sankranti.

"The drugs are fed just before the fight for better results. We have been conducting tests and so far the results have been encouraging," he said, the report added.