trichy at a time when animal rights activists across the country are targeting jallikattu citing cruelty to bulls a group of bull owners has unveiled an airconditioned vehicle for transporting the animals to arenas across the region with pongal commences the season of jallikattu the traditional sport of bulltaming for a while bull owners organized under the tamil nadu veera vilayattu jallikattu padukappu nala sangam have been toying with the idea of a cosy vehicle to ferry bulls the purposebuilt vehicle which is in fact a modified truck will be used for the first time this season a normal truck can carry at least 15 bulls but only five could be transported at a time on the special jallikattu vehicle said senthil thondaiman honorary president of the association the unique vehicle is the brainchild of senthil while bull owners in the association supported the idea such a vehicle is necessary as the bulls will be constantly on travel during jallikattu season reasoned senthil who himself owns seven jallikattu bulls the truck sporting stickers and graphics of bull has five compartments with lighting and aircondition facilities it also has an exclusive compartment for bull owners to take rest and feed bulls whenever required usually bulls across the state are transported in trucks and owners accompany them as the bulls are tied with ropes and are exposed to the elements they are tired by the time they reach the venue here too they are tied for hours resultantly they lose the vigour to lock horns with tamers s ondiraju a bull owner and also the state secretary of the association said owners dont want their bulls to be easily tamed at the arena it is after incurring considerable expenditure and prolonged training that bulls are taken for duels besides pride of owners and their villages are at stake the vehicle was customised by t tee body works at pirattiyur on trichydindigul road an eicher truck was remodeled there for the past one year with this years pongal in mind the vehicle took its first trip with a bull belonging to ondikaruppu temple at rettai malai here the trip was smooth and the bull responded positively even when it was put in a locked enclosure said kumaran another bull owner