Here is an email I sent to a friend. He asked if the cockfights were fights to the death.
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No the ones I saw were not. They treated the birds fairly well. One of the more dangerous claws on the back of the foot was taped up. It was done for two reasons one to prevent more serious injury, the second to mark the birds as white or black for betting.
When the round was over they took the bird over for a rest break. They would massage the bird, give it water, a wet compress to the head with a wet cloth. They would lift the wings get the birds to walk a bit. One time they removed the tape from the birds feet because blood flow was limited. They treated the birds like real boxers. At on point a rooster was overheating so they ran around looking for a piece of cardboard to fan him and cool him down. I grabbed my photo album book with dads photos and other Canada photos (I show the book to folks here to explain my background) and started fanning early before they found the cardboard. The guys were joking that the " Farang is helping". The bird cooled down and showed no ill effects. After the fights the roosters owner will sew up cuts to the animals head with a needle thread.
Maybe other events have fights to the death but that is not what I saw. There was a real respect and care given to these chicken boxers. It was bloody but not a death match.
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No the ones I saw were not. They treated the birds fairly well. One of the more dangerous claws on the back of the foot was taped up. It was done for two reasons one to prevent more serious injury, the second to mark the birds as white or black for betting.
When the round was over they took the bird over for a rest break. They would massage the bird, give it water, a wet compress to the head with a wet cloth. They would lift the wings get the birds to walk a bit. One time they removed the tape from the birds feet because blood flow was limited. They treated the birds like real boxers. At on point a rooster was overheating so they ran around looking for a piece of cardboard to fan him and cool him down. I grabbed my photo album book with dads photos and other Canada photos (I show the book to folks here to explain my background) and started fanning early before they found the cardboard. The guys were joking that the " Farang is helping". The bird cooled down and showed no ill effects. After the fights the roosters owner will sew up cuts to the animals head with a needle thread.
Maybe other events have fights to the death but that is not what I saw. There was a real respect and care given to these chicken boxers. It was bloody but not a death match.
