The last decision by Jairam Ramesh as environment minister was to ban the use of bulls as performing animals. This means that bulls can no longer be used in jallikattu, a bull-taming sport played in Tamil Nadu during Pongal celebrations.
In a notification issued on July 11, the Ministry of Environment and Forests expanded the scope of an earlier order that prohibits the exhibition and training of lions, tigers, bears, leopards and monkeys as performing animals to include bulls.
"In the exercise of powers conferred by Section 22 of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the Central Government, hereby specifies that the following animals shall not be exhibited or trained as performing animals namely bears, monkeys, tigers, panthers, lions and bulls," the notification said.
