Cockfighting is an illegal blood sport happening in many areas of the world. Two roosters raised to be aggressive are placed in a small ring to fight to the death. The birds’ natural fighting instincts are enhanced with steroids, supplements, training, and breeding. Before the fight, the roosters are plucked, and their wattles — the combs under the beaks — are removed so the opposing bird can’t tear it off. After that, the roosters are fitted with blades to increase the bloodshed. [1] Cockfighting is a cruel and dangerous sport — even for people. In a cockfight ring in southern India, a man was killed by his own rooster before the fight even began.
An Owner Killed By His Own Rooster
Beforehand, the rooster’s leg had been fitted with a three-inch-long knife. But just when the fight was about to begin, the bird tried to escape, attacking the owner, 45-year-old Thangulla Satish, who tried to capture him. The knife impaled the man’s groin, and he died from loss of blood before he reached the hospital. [2]
“We are searching for the other 15 people involved in organizing the illegal fight,” said local police officer B. Jeevan. [3]
The ring took place in the village of Lothunur in Telangana state. The missing parties face charges of illegal betting, hosting cockfights, and manslaughter — and imprisonment for up to two years. When they are caught, the rooster will be brought to court as evidence. The rooster now lives at a farm after being held at the police station.
India banned cockfighting in 1960, but many rings still exist, particularly around rural areas like Telangana, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. Many take place around the Hindu festival of Sankranti. Despite animal rights groups’ efforts, these fights are popular. Sometimes, they are held by powerful, local politicians, and enormous sums of money are betted on. [4]
Read: Blue dogs seen roaming near abandoned Russian chemical factory
Killed in a Cockfight
Despite being a felony in 42 states, cockfighting rings continue in the United States. Last year, a ring with over 2,000 birds was broken up in Los Angeles. In 2014, New York authorities busted a ring with over 70 people and 3,000 birds in a sting called “Operation Angry Birds.”
The crazy part is that being killed by a rooster in a cockfight is not entirely uncommon. Last year, a bird handler, a 55-year-old Indian man, died after being slashed in the neck and abdomen. The fight had taken place at the festival Sankranti. Additionally, in 2018, a 34-year-old man from Rajavaram, India, was killed after a rooster slashed his thighs and testicles. Like Thangulla Satish, the man bled to death. [5]
Moreover, the police chief in a town in the Philippines was killed by a rooster while raiding an illegal cockfight. The rooster attacked him with the metal blade and sliced an artery in the cop’s leg.
“He was trying to confiscate the roosters, but the problem was the rooster’s blade may have been laced with poison,” said provincial Governor Edwin Ongchuan. [6]
Cockfighting Causes Animal Suffering
Often, both birds die in a cockfight, but even if one survives, it suffers tremendously. They could be nursing pierced eyes, broken bones, or punctured lungs; however, they go right back into the ring. As previously mentioned, people could be killed by a rooster as well.
These fights are based on gambling. It’s not uncommon if thousands of dollars are on the line. Because of this, spectators come armed with weapons and firearms to protect themselves and their cash. As a result, violence could break out; homicides surrounding cockfighting are not uncommon. Additionally, these rings are also selling grounds for illegal drugs.
Despite all of this danger and violence, it’s not unusual to see children at these cockfights. Witnessing this brutality at a young age could encourage cruelty towards animals and enthusiasm for violence. Children and families are brought to these events to evade suspicion of the gathering’s true activities.
Fortunately, authorities in the United States on cracking down on cockfighting rings. Forty-two states passed laws against the practice, and all 50 states consider it illegal. [7]
Keep Reading: Trophy Hunter Defends Spending $2,000 To Shoot Giraffe And Pose With Its Heart
Sources
- “Cockfighting.” ASPCA.
- “Indian man killed by his own bird during cockfight.” BBC. February 28, 2021.
- “Rooster fitted with blade for cockfight kills its owner in India.” The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. February 27, 2021.
- “Rooster kills Indian man during banned cockfight.” Los Angeles Times. Omer Farooq. February 28, 2021
- “A rooster stabbed a man to death with a knife during a cockfight.” Insider. Julie Gerstein. March 1, 2021
- “Cockfighting rooster fatally stabs owner with knife strapped to leg in India, sparking manhunt for illegal fight organizers.” ABC. February 28, 2021
- “Cockfighting fact sheet.” Humane Society.