Warning: Some narratives contain information that might be considered as violence or cruelty to animals.

Cockfighting is a blood sport in which one gamecock armed with razor-sharp knife is pitted against an opponent for entertainment or gambling. Although it is illegal in most of the states of USA and in western countries, cockfighting is still legal in some countries including the Philippines.

In the Philippines cockers select the best breed of gamecocks that can probably win in competitions. The more expensive breeds are imported from other countries such as the United States. Some gamecock breeders are active participants in cockfight competitions while others raise gamecocks to sell to aficionados. The more their sold gamecocks win, the more popular they become and the higher the price they command.

Affluent breeders raise gamecocks in farms with a staff of veterinarian, trainers and farmhands. Small-time breeders raise theirs in their backyard.

Fighting cocks are costly to maintain because they are fed with mash, special grains, fruits, vegetables, ground meat and vitamins to keep them healthy and strong. They are bathed regularly to rid them of parasites and a trainer physically conditions them before the fight. It takes two years before a cock is ready to fight. For backyard breeder he has to feed and train the gamecock all by himself.

In the Philippines cockfights can be held by first getting the necessary permits from local authorities and then paying the taxes. However, there are people who illegally hold cockfights. The fights usually take place in backyards or in places that are hidden from the eyes of the authorities. These activities are subject to raids by the police.

In the arena betting can be done directly by a spectator to another spectator at the gallery or to the administrators of the cockfights. The cockfight may either be regular, those held usually on Sunday, or a derby which is a bigger contest. In regular cockfight a cocker has his gamecock matched up against another gamecock. In a derby, usually a three-cock or six-cock fight, each participant fields the required number of cocks that are pitted against cocks of other participants. The cocker who has the most wins in points becomes the champion.

People from all walks of life are allured in cockfighting. Foreigners especially Americans come to the Philippines to engage in this blood sport especially the derby.  

Cocks brought to the arena are usually those that are at least two-year old, the ideal age for a gamecock. Most of them had their comb and wattles cut off when they mature to give them agility. Portion of spurs on the legs are sawn off to facilitate attachment of knife on the left leg before a fight.

The cock favored by the spectators to win is called “llamado” while the underdog is “dejado”.

The fight starts amidst the din of the spectators when they place their bets. The handlers of the cocks have them face each other to stir their hostility. Next, they unsheathe the knives and put the cocks on the ground. With hackles flaring, each of the cock makes a fighting stance and cautious movements. Suddenly, one of them strikes and the other reacts by dodging the blow or by delivering a counter attack. As the winged gladiators fight in mid air, they thrust their knives and cut each other’s flesh and bones and pierce their organs. Most often the blow is so fatal that it hit a vital organ like the heart. If it is hit in midair, the unfortunate warrior dies very quickly upon landing the ground. In that case the fight is over in just several seconds.

In most cases the birds fight till death even if they are seriously wounded. Taking hold of an opponent’s feathers with a bite of its beak, a combatant hacks its opponent by flurry of blows from its legs. The other cock returns that kind of ferocity when it has the chance. The one that receives many stabs and fatal wounds stands to loss and die in the fight.  A bird is doomed if its left leg is hit in the early going of the fight because it won’t be able to retaliate against its foe. There are few instances when a bird runs away from a fight because of a wound and it is declared a loser.                                                                                                               

Fight is declared a draw after a lapse of ten minutes. But there are instances when before that time the cocks are too physically exhausted because of injuries, but are still eager to fight. The scent of another cock resuscitates a dying cock’s strength. In that situation, the referee brings the cock to alternately peck and shuffle at each other. One of the cocks outlasts the other because the latter is either dead or no longer responds because of serious injury. At the end of a fight most of the losing cock is dead. Some winning cocks survive a battle, but others are also killed, seriously wounded or paralyzed. Dead cocks are brought home for food. The owners can agree if the carcass is an additional winning on top of the money or the loser can keep it.

After the fights the wagers either pay or collect money. Owners or spectators go home with more or less money than what he previously had when he entered the arena. But for all of them, one thing is certain- they enjoyed what they saw. Some people might find the sport violent to animals but it is a way for others to entertain themselves.

I believe I got that lesson as a vision of something going to happen in future. Not with me as I don’t belong to that religion or community but to millions of people in this world who are suffering because of bunch of killers who are killing under the name of religion. Have a look at this youtube video here:

This world is not blind enough that no one knows about who is guilty and should be punished. But having seen many great battles and causalities most of the countries have kept silence to their best to avoid such economical and human disasters.

Do you think every people indulge in terrorism is after religion?

If you are penniless but ambitious you are in for a trap. Many youths you can see in those terrorist camps and in those videos are not just there because they strongly believe in religion or support it. They have those big dreams and ambition for money, power and lust, which make it possible for many terrorist, groups to higher them by satisfying their hunger.

These are not just a bunch of illiterates or wanderers but many highly educated leaders, software engineers, mechanical engineers; marketing executives etc. from various fields are part of it.

Every time someone goes mad, it has to be World War?       

Every time if anything has to be curbed or solved it has to go through blood of innocents?

I have only questions and no answer. I don’t run this world or country or not even a small shop. I am an employee earning for a living and working for someone. But it really hurts and provokes a thought when you go through headlines about bomb blasts and such other terrorist attacks.

I have not lost anyone of my loved ones yet to this beast of terrorism but I cannot just wait for that to happen. But at present I can only write this article and not go out there on battlefields with guns in hands and blood sport around.