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The Cock Fight by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1847)
Training for a cockfight in Hell-Bourg, Réunion
A cockfight is a blood sport between two specially bred roosters held in a ring called a cockpit.
The combatants, known as gamecocks or cocks, are specially bred birds, conditioned for increased stamina and strength. The comb and wattle are cut off in order to meet show standards of the American Gamefowl Society and the Old English Game Club and to prevent freezing in colder climates. Cocks possess congenital aggression toward all males of the same species. Cocks are given the best of care until near the age of two years old. They are conditioned, much like professional athletes prior to events or shows. Wagers are often made on the outcome of the match. While not all fights are to the death, they may result in the death of both birds. Cockfighting, was at one time considered to be an accepted, traditional sporting event in the United States. In many other areas around the world, cockfighting is still practiced as a mainstream event and is viewed as the national sport in some countries where it is Government controlled and a large amount of revenue for the state is raised.
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Owners pit fighting birds against each other for the purpose of gambling. Historically, this was in a cockpit, a term which was also used in the 16th century to mean a place of entertainment or frenzied activity. William Shakespeare used the term in Henry V to specifically mean the area around the stage of a theater.Shakespeare, W.. Henry V. www.shakespeare-literature.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-22. In 1759, the English artist William Hogarth produced a satirical print called The Cockpit showing the enthusiasm of the gamblers during a cockfight.William Hogarth, Pit Ticket: The Cockpit. Art of The Print. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
In some regional variations, the birds are equipped with either gaffs or knives tied to the leg in the area where the bird\'s natural spur has been partially removed. A cockspur is a bracelet (often made of leather) with a curved, sharp spike which is attached to the leg of the bird. The spikes typically range in length from "short spurs" of just over an inch to long spurs almost two and a half inches long. In the highest levels of seventeenth century English cockfighting, the spikes were made of silver. In the naked heel variation, the bird\'s natural spurs are left intact and sharpened: fighting is done without gaffs or taping, particularly in India (especially in Tamil Nadu) There it is mostly fought naked heel and either three rounds of twenty minutes with a gap of again twenty minutes or four rounds of fifteen minutes each and a gap of fifteen minutes between them.Help expose illegal cockfighters. Irish Council Against Bloodsports. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
Nicaragua, Venezuela, Colombia, France, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Italy, Philippines, Peru, Puerto Rico, Canary Islands and Guam have well-established arenas with seats or bleachers for spectators surrounding the ring, similar to a wrestling or boxing arena, and fights may be held all throughout the day. In many countries, the spectacle of cockfighting draws whole families, and in some countries, cockfighting is as popular as baseball and football are in the United States. Among the competitors who raise fighting cocks, there is great pride in the prowess of their birds and in winning a championship.
Cockfighting is common in The Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. In the Philippines they call it "Sabong".Animal Protection Group Calls on World Health Organization to Combat Cockfighting as Key Factor in Spread of Avian Flu. Humane Society of teh United States (2005-02-18). Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
Cockfighting (Vetrukkaal seval porr in Tamil which means "naked heel cock fight") (Kodi Pandem in Telugu) (Kori katta in Tulu) is favourite sport of people living in the coastal region of Andhra Pradesh, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka, India. Three or four inch blades (Bal in Tulu) are attached to the cocks\' legs. Knockout fights to the death are widely practised in Andhra Pradesh. In Tamil Nadu, the winner is decided after three or four rounds. People watch with intense interest surrounding the cocks. The sport has gradually become a gambling sport.
Cockfighting in Tamil Nadu is mentioned in ancient literature like Manu Needhi Sastiram, Kattu Seval Sastiram, and other sangam-age literature, 2,000 years old. It is referred to as the favourite past-time for Maravars or the warriors of Tamil Country. It is acknowledged as one of the 64 "arts" widely spoken by the scholars and mastered by the ancestors/scholars of this part of the world. In earlier days they were fighting with the jungle fowl and its variants later, due to the naval expeditions to Java and Malay by the Pandian Rulers the local poultry of that land might have found its way to Tamil Nadu and a new strain/breed started its development in here which later spread to many places such as India. The newer breeds which are known now are The "Reja" (which is a short Variety),"Sonatol","Calcutta Asil","Madras ASil","Kalkatiya" (Also known as "Kadhar" synonymous to Black Asils), The Reds (Also known locally as "Yakuth"),The Yellow Variants (Also known as The "Peela" Asil), The Grey is known locally as "Java" and its variants reddish grey as "Dummer". Also they have a "henny" variety cock known locally as "Pettai Madhiri" the literal meaning is "it looks like a hen", though this variety is said to have come from "Singala Island", or Sri Lanka.
Cockfighting is popular in Pakistan.[citation needed] Betting is illegal, but police often turn a blind eye towards it. In Sindh (one of 4 major provinces), people are fond of keeping fighting cock breed, known as "Sindhi aseel" in Pakistan. These cocks are tall heavy and good in fighting. Pakistan is a Muslim majority country and animal fighting should not happen (because it is prohibited in Islam) but unfortunately some people are fond of cock fighting especially in rural areas.
Cockfighting is called "Sabong". it is one of the Philippines national sport. There are illegal and legal cockfights. (Even the Philippine boxing hero Manny Pacquiao one of them are call "Pac-Man")If you go into any home in the Philippines you would find at least 2 cocks (if there is a older male in the household). Many would gamble on the fight. Cocks are treated like humans they would feed them, give vitamins, and give them a shower. If the cock has been injured, but still alive they would ususally use it for reproduction. For fighting they would use gloves in an illegal fight, but would use blades in the legal fights.
Cockfighting was banned outright in England, Wales and the British overseas territories with the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835 and in Scotland, where it had been relatively common in the eighteenth century,Collins, T. (2005). Encyclopedia of Traditional British Rural Sports. Routledge. Retrieved on 2007-12-05. in 1895. The Museum of Welsh Life contains a reconstructed cockpitJohn Ball (2002). Denbigh Cockpit. Retrieved on 2008-02-26. and a reference exists in 1774 to a cockpit at Stanecastle in Scotland.McClure, David (1994). Tolls and Tacksmen. Ayr Arch & Nat Hist Soc. Ayrshire Monograph No. 13, 53.
Holding cockfights is a crime in France, but there is an exemption under subparagraph 3 of article 521-1 of the French penal code for cockfights and bullfights in locales where an uninterrupted tradition exists for them. Thus, cockfighting is allowed in the Nord-Pas de Calais region, in Metropolitan France where it takes place in a small number of towns including Raimbeaucourt, La BistadeFoggo, D. & Campbell, M. (2006-22-01). British fans flock to French cockfights. The Times. Retrieved on 2008-02-22. and other villages around Lille.Le Guide bu Nord de Pas de Calais. Retrieved on 2008-02-22. On Réunion Island there are five officially authorized gallodromes (i.e. cockfighting arenas).
Cockfighting has a very long tradition in American culture and history. Many of the founding fathers participated in the sport of cockfighting including Washington and Jefferson.Bull, W. (2007-07-13). Last US state bans cockfighting. BBC. Retrieved on 2008-02-22. First the British and then the Irish brought in their favorite breeds of fighting roosters. These breeds make up most of the modern American breeds.[citation needed] With the influx of immigrants from Central America and Asia, they have each added new forms of cockfighting.
In the United States cockfighting is illegal in Washington, D.C. and all states but Louisiana. On June 27, 2007, the Louisiana legislature voted to ban cockfighting in the state. A spokeswoman for Governor Kathleen Blanco says, pending a thorough review of the bill, the governor intends to sign it into law. The ban will take effect in August 2008 [1]. It is legal in the United States Territories of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have made cockfighting a felony however, in most places, it is legal to possess roosters. It is illegal in 40 states and D.C. to be a spectator at cockfights. Animal welfare activists continue to lobby for a ban on the sport.
Spurs taped and tied onto cocks
On May 3, 2007 President Bush signed into law the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, which criminalizes the transferral of cockfighting implements across state or national borders, and increases the penalty for violations of federal animal fighting laws to three years imprisonment.H.R. 137: Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act of 2007. GovTrack.us. Retrieved on 2008-02-22. In 2006 the United States Virgin Islands passed a bill which outlaws the use of artificial spurs. Thus far the bill has not been enforced.
Cockfighting has a higher level of social acceptance in Puerto Rico than in Louisiana. It also has a much larger human population and pool of fighting cocks than the Virgin Islands or Guam. Metal spurs causes a high mortality of birds. With the interstate transport ban Puerto Rico is likely to be the last holdout. The United States Virgin Islands government is trying to move the sport towards Gamecock Boxing.[citation needed]
On June 11, 2005 a number of law enforcement agents raided a cockfighting pit in Del Rio, Tennessee.Stambaugh, J.J.. "Details of cockfighting raid emerge", Knox News, 2005-09-12. Retrieved on 2008-02-22. . Authorities claim this was one of the largest and oldest cockfighting operations in the United States. The agents arrested 144 people, killed over 300 roosters, and confiscated $40,000 in cash. One owner stated he lost 20 chickens valued at $150 each during the raid. The 144 people arrested were booked on charges of being spectators at a cockfight, a misdemeanor. In Tennessee, defendants found guilty of those charges face up to eleven months and twenty-nine days in jail, plus fines up to $2,500.Cockfight arrest. CNN.
Cockfighting events in Guam are held during village fiestas where a patron saint of that village is celebrated. With an influx of Filipino immigrants to the island before and after World War II, the sport has been accepted as a tradition. Imported roosters and hens from the U.S. fetch a heavy price and many residents believe that with the bans enforced in the U.S., people may breed chickens.
Cockfighting is not only accepted in Apure, but common.
On March 10, 2008, members of the Hawaii state legislature introduced a concurrent resolution requesting the United Nations General Assembly "commemorate cockfighting as a global sport."HCR180. Hawaii State Legislature. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
Cockfighting has inspired artists in several fields to create works which depict the activity. Several organisations, including the University of South Carolina, Jacksonville State University and London association football (soccer) team Tottenham Hotspur F.C. have a gamecock as their mascot and the University of Delaware\'s mascot is the Fightin\' Blue Hen. The Alex Haley novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family and the miniseries based on it feature cockfighting and films featuring the sport include the 1965 film The Cincinnati Kid, the 1974 film Cockfighter, directed by Monte Hellman (based on the novel of the same name by Charles Willeford).
Cockfighting has also featured in TV episodes of such programmes as *Seinfeld ("The Little Jerry"), House ("Humpty Dumpty"), Drawn Together ("Mexican\'t Buy Me Love").
Cockfighting has also featured in songs such as Kings of Leon\'s Four Kicks and Bob Dylan\'s song "Cry a while" from the album Love and Theft. The story song El Gallo del Cielo by Tom Russell is entirely about cockfighting, and the lyrics utilize detailed imagery of fighting pits, gamecocks, and gambling on the outcome of the fights.
The Expressionist painter Sir Robin Philipson, of Edinburgh, was well known for his series of works depicting Cockfighting.
Wilford Brimley is a high profile supporter of cockfighting.http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/10846.html
In an episode of Seinfeld, Cosmo Kramer cared for a rooster named "Little Jerry Seinfeld". He trained it as a trainer would a boxer, but when Little Jerry was put in a fight he intervened, and was attacked by the other bird.
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