Cockfighting

Overview
Cockfightighting is an "entertainment" event that involves two cocks (male chickens) fighting eachother until one can't fight any longer. Cockfights can be fatal for both roosters.

How it Works
With long, needle-sharp, icepick-like weapons are attatched to the roosters' natural leg spurs, roosters are thrown into small pits to fight. They then, trained to fight and often drugged with stimulants, leap and slash at eachother. The weapons inflict severe wounds and can be fatal. But even so, the handlers will force them to fight on.

When the fight in the main pit begins to flag, the roosters are moved to the drag pit. There, the fight will continue for many hours as their handlers will revive them many times to keep the match and the bets going.

Matches usually end when the bird is wounded so severely he can't be revived. However, the "winner" of a match, who is also badly injured, may face more cruelty. Survivors whos' eyes have been injured are pitted together in "blinker derbies." Masses of other wounded birds are thrown together in a "battle royale," a fight to the last bird, while spectators bet the outcome.

At the end, the roosters are tossed into "dead piles," though some might still be alive to suffer their injuries there.

Claims, Politics, and Evidence
Cockfighters argue that a roosters' aggression is natural. But in nature, roosters rarely fight to the death. Cocks have been seen jumping out of the pits, unwilling to battle, only to be caught and returned, or have their heads pulled out alive for acting "cowardly."

Not only is cockfighting cruel, it is also linked to other crimes and violence. Officials have documented the strong connection between cockfighting, illegal gambling, and illegal drugs. Drug dealers use cockfighting to distribute drugs. Cockfighting itself involves many crimes.

Forcing animals to fight and watching animals suffer and die for "entertainment" is evil to a truly civilised society.

Also see

 * 1) Dogfighting
 * 2) Bullfighting

Outside resources

 * Cockfighting: Who, Truly, are the Ruthless Aggressive Killers? (upc-online.org)

Sourcses

 * 1) https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/cockfighting-fact-sheet
 * 2) https://www.aspca.org/improving-laws-animals/public-policy/cockfighting
 * 3) https://www.animals24-7.org/2020/12/27/cockfighting-in-kentucky-showdown-on-january-2-2021/
 * 4) https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/5-shocking-things-you-didnt-know-about-cockfighting/
 * 5) https://www.upc-online.org/cockfighting/
 * 6) https://www.upc-online.org/cockfighting/true_killers.html