Jallikattu, they say, is a centuries-old tradition, and that it's an integral part of the Tamil culture. A 'barbaric' sport Many opponents of jallikattu say it's a cruel sport which involves tormenting a frightened animal in an arena. Saving native breeds Those who defend jallikattu say that it helps preserve native breeds of cattle. Karthikeya Sivasenapathy of the Kangeyam Cattle Research Foundation said last year that the drastic fall in the native cattle breed population can be directly attributed to the 1998 entry of PETA in India. He added that the activism against jallikattu over the next decade "nearly depleted native cattle stock."

Source: Times of India January 22, 2017 15:10 UTC