Asianet NewsableAsianet Newsable

Bangalore Turf Club CEO booked for doping horses, what about others?

  • Animal doping has become a common menace across the country
  • From horses to dogs, animals are doped ahead of race to make certain money
Bangalore Turf Club CEO booked for doping horses what about others

Bengaluru rises up to the news of horses being doped for racing at the Bangalore turf club and shudders at the fact that man is increasingly becoming a threat to everyone. Charges levied at the Bangalore club CEO could just be the silver lining in the dark clouds hovering over animals, but more still needs to be done.

Consider the news of chickens being doped for juciness in Bengaluru. It was said that hormones were administered on chickens so that they grew faster anmd fatter. Despite poultry breeders see usage of antibiotics in chicken as normal, experts are of a different opinion altogether. In fact, they compare the induced growth in chickens with that of bodybuilders who use steroids to grow mass. Otherwise, the growth of a chicken from 50 gm to 2 kg in 40 days is beyond comprehension.

Following a huge uproar, the Karnataka Poultry Farmers and Breeders Association (KPFBA) assured that there was no harm in consuming checken administered with antibiotics. In fact, G B Puttanniah, head of the technical committee of KPFBA, said, "I have never seen any poultry farmer using hormones to increase the body weight of a bird in my 48-year career." 

While this is one case in Bengaluru, there was a second case in Ludhiana in the month of February where dogs were doped with performance enhancers before a race at the Qila Raipur village. Although there were are no confirmed reports or medical tests proving the allegations, the rumour still manages to raise an alarm among animal activists. 

Calling doping a menace, Dr Kirti Dua, professor of veterinary medicine at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University speaks of the health hazards that it causes in animals. She says, "though performance enhancers, mostly anabolic steroids, work in the short-term, the side-effects can be bad in the long run. After the urine sample in horses started showing doping, tests acted as deterrent and can be used here as well. These hormones can effect the liver, kidneys and other organs of animals besides making them over-aggressive."

Coming back to the latest news on the bengaluru turf club, the CEO Nirmal Prasad and Padman Singh, an employee had allegedly forced the trainers G Sandu, Neel Darasha and S Dominic to dope their horses ahead of the race. This was a direct violation of the National Anti Doping Agency and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, which immediately caught the attention of animal activists. H S Chandre Gowda, a member of the managing committee of Karnataka Racehorse Owners Association registered a complaint against them when the doping test results of a particular mare Queen Latifa turned out to be positive after she won a race last February. 

Meanwhile, an FIR has been filed against the main culprits and police officers are trying to find concrete evidences to back up the arrest.  

Follow Us:
Download App:
  • android
  • ios