Cockfighting is a blood sport in which roosters are placed in a ring and forced to fight to the death. Cockfighting is illegal in the United States, and it’s often linked to other criminal activities such as illegal gambling and drugs.
Roosters used for cockfighting are bred and raised to fight. They grow up tethered in a small area with inadequate shelter. Their combs and wattles are crudely cut off, without any painkillers or sedation, to prevent other roosters from tearing them off during a fight. Some cockfighters remove roosters’ spurs, the bony protrusions on their legs, in order to attach more deadly weapons to their legs. Many fighting roosters are given performance-enhancing drugs such as methamphetamines to make them fight through their injuries.
During a cockfight, roosters jump, kick, and peck at each other. If they stop, handlers work them up into a frenzy to make them continue to fight. The cockfight ends when one rooster is dead or nearly dead, and the losing roosters are discarded like trash, even if they’re still alive.
