Cruel Sports And How They Effect Animals
"The referee shouts, "Ready, pit!" The birds explode from their handlers' grasps and collide breast to breast, a foot off the ground. Beak grabbing beak, hackles flaring like porcupine quills, they bounce apart and then collide, again and again. The hatch takes command. The roundhead rolls over, then revives. He pounds the Hatch with a foot, spearing a lung. The Hatch fades, hunkering down and refusing to budge. As he coughs up drops of blood, his breathing sounds like footsteps on gravel. The Roundhead, fatigued but intact, wins. The Hatch is carried off, most likely to die" (Kilborn 3).
This is just one account of a cruel animal sport like cockfighting. This is a epidemic that needs to be stopped. Too many animals are killed for the illegal profit of a few.
In today's advanced society there are still humans who thrive on the killing of defenseless animals. Some people do this for the fun and the sport, while others do it as a way to make a living. The three animals that are most commonly abused are cocks, bulls and dogs. These animals fight against other animals and humans. Usually these fights go to the death. The term cruel sports is most often used to describe these fights. Cruel animal sports can be defined as an arranged fight between two animals or an animal and a human for the fun and or profit of the people involved. In most cases these fights are illegal. Although with the amount of money to be won through illegal betting the risks are usually overlooked. Especially because of the lack of law enforcement that is delegated to cases like this. Stronger legislation needs to be adopted to completely stop cruel sports that abuse animals.
There are two forms of cockfighting. Naked heel fighting is the less deadly of the two. Whereas artificial heel fighting is a lot more inhumane. Metal spurs of up to three inches are placed over the cocks natural spurs to cause a devastating effect to the other bird. These metal spurs can puncture a heart or a lung with one kick. When the birds fight with metal spurs the fights are for the most part quick and to the death. There is no need to provoke the birds once their in the ring. It is a natural instinct for them to fight over territory.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), there is a “great deal of confusion associated with the label ‘Pit Bull,’” as it does not refer to a single breed of dog, but rather to a group of breeds with similar characteristics1. These characteristics include short hair, a wide skull and shoulders, muscle definition, stocky build and a deep jawline, the combination of which create a dog that manages to strike fear into a perfect stranger. The term ‘Pit Bull’ is derived from the bulldog, which was originally bred as a hunting dog for large game, but has since developed into a “loyal companion rather than a working dog.”1 Their history as “gripping dogs” for hunters follows them into modern society, as many of these dogs have been inhumanely pitted against one another as well as other animals for sport and for human entertainment1. It is because of these illegal fighting rings that ‘Pit Bull’ type breeds have become the subje...
Red-tailed black-cockatoos usually form a lifelong bond with their mating partner (Del Hoyo et al., 1997). They typically nest in large hollows of eucalyptus trees where they rear their young, generally one egg per clutch. Parental care is shared between the two mates; however, the female does most of the incubating and the male does most of the feeding (Higgins, 1997).
In 18 August, 2011, the source of this event is from Herald Sun. A four-year-old lovely child named Ayen Chol was mauled and killed by a pit bull cross while she was playing in her home. The vicious pit bull escaped from a neighbour’s yard and mauled Ayen in a sudden attack. The dog rushed inside the house and set upon Ayen and some other children who were watching television. Ayen’s mom tried to beat the dog away from the children with a table, but she failed. Then the dog turned on Ayen and the vicious injuries caused Ayen’s death. Dr Cam Day, who is the RSPCA’s Queensland pit bull expert, has claimed that American pit bull terriers are ‘head, shoulder, feet and everything else above other breeds’ in terms of their capacity to injure and maim. If the government doesn’t ban pit bulls, these tragedies would continue to happen and children’s lives would be threatened all the
Dogfighting is a “sport” that pits two well trained dogs against each other in a fights until one dog cannot fight anymore. Dogs are often killed at these events, because some dogs are ruthless because their owners have trained them to kill. The fights last, on average, one to two hours, and can leave marks forever. Spectators are able to bet on which dog will win. Currently, dogfighting is a felony offense in all 50 states, and is a federal offense as well. Not only can the instigators of the fights be charged, but all spectators can be charged as well. Dogfighting was brought to the sports world in 2007, when star quarterback Michael Vick was found guilty of having a dogfighting organization and hanging 3 dogs for “not performing well in ‘testing’ sessions”. In 2001, Vick and 3 friends, Purnell Peace, Quanis Phillips, and Tony Taylor started an organization which they called, “Bad Newz Kennel”. Vick also started his NFL career that year, and played for the Atlanta Falcons. When he got convicted in 2007, Vick was sentenced to 21 months in prison and 2 months in home confinement. Dog fighting may injure the dogs forever. For example, Georgia, a pitbull involved in “Bad Newz Kennels”, had her jaw broken at one time during a fight and her tongue is still messed up. Her tail also zigzags, and she has no teeth, they were all pried out of her mouth. Animal Rights would help Georgia and dogs involved in fights all around the country, so they know that they are safe [ALDF]. There are approximately more than 100,00 people in the U.S. involved in dogfighting. That number needs to cut down if the world is going to be a better place for people and animals to grow up in. That is why Animal Rights should occur more heavily in the
Chickens have to endure suffering that no living thing should have to go through. The egg laying chickens have to be forced into tiny cages without enough room to stretch their wings. Up to 8 hens are crammed in to a cage that is the size of a folded newspaper, about 11"-14". Stress from the confinement leads to severe feather loss so the chicken will be almost completely bald in the cold cages. When the chickens are of egg-laying age, there beaks are cut off without any pain killers to ease the pain, they do this so the chickens don’t break their own eggs and eat them because the chickens are hungry.
One person might just think that animals can be safely used for entertainment purposes. If the animals are well treated then the value for the sport and entertainment can be received and stay positive from spectators. Some like to say what is done to these animals is what they were born to do. They were put on this Earth for this purpose. These animals trainers love them and are very passionate about taking care of them. As humans, we were given mastery control over animals, which makes them ours to use and do whatever with. Animals have their right to participate in sports just like we do. S...
Robert Gonzales is only one of many people to commit animal cruelty. Kevin Brunson was also accused of harming an animal. He starved his dog, Rambo, until he weighed only fifty-one pounds. A normal dog his size would weigh around one hundred and twenty-five pounds. Rambo was seventy-four pounds underweight. A dog named, Lacey had scabbing around the eyes and other injuries from being abused. “Lashawn Whitehead of Greensboro, admitted to police that she beat her dog for fifteen minutes, then set it on fire. The dog ran away, and she was found. Her injuries were burned ears, a broken jaw, and teeth. She was adopted into a new loving family.” (Cawthon 2) All animals are affected when it comes to animal abuse. Horses have been reported to be starved and in very poor living conditions. Owners don’t clean stalls, feed the animals, or take care of the horses grooming needs. The horses become depressed to due to the lack of care they receive. Sixteen horses were found at Gina Rapuano’s Farm, Apache, Willy, and Destiny are merely three of the horses greatly in need of care. Apache was starved so much you could see his ribs; he was infested with worms, and needed hoof and dental care. Willy had trouble walking, and horrible eye infections. Destiny had such bad dental care that he could not eat properly, and was starving. “The horses eyes were dull; they were not alert. They t...
Animal abuse can be looked at in many different forms but it’s mostly up to you to determine if you agree or disagree with it. Many people believe rodeos should be outlawed because of the visible abuse. It could be from a steer getting drug behind a horse or from probes that make bucking horses and bulls buck. Others believe that all actions are taken to insure the safety of the animals and the contestants. The real question is what do you believe?
Marzluff, J., Angell, T. & Elliot, B. (2013, May. - Jun.). Birds: Brains over brawn. Audubon, 115(3), 40-41.
“There can be many reason for animal cruelty, like any other form of violence, is often committed by a person who feels powerless, unnoticed, or under control of others. Some who are cruel to animals copy acts what they have seen or that have been done to them, others see harming an animal as a safe way to get revenge against--or threaten-- someone who cares about that animal”. (“Animal… Statistics”) Concerns towards abusing animals have gone up in the past. Although there are not many cases on animal abuse, many have occurred. Abusers are charged with Criminal Animal Abuse and then sentenced to life in prison. Some animals that are physically abused are sometimes rescued by Animal Control, and are taken it to an animal shelter. However, many shelters have not had the space to keep the animals so the workers would have to put them down (Carol Roach). Researchers have shown that the main animals getting abused are dogs, chickens, horses, and livestock (“Animal...
The ugly truth is that animals are dying at the hands of their owners everyday, some in very violent ways that can be avoidable given the right solution. Slaughterhouses, puppy mills, dog fighting, and so on, are just a few examples of how animals are being treated badly by people. Animal cruelty is a form of violence which, un...
The article “Animals Used as Entertainment” lists rodeos, circuses, bullfighting, horse racing, cockfighting, dog fighting, and zoos as examples of the many ways animals are used in entertainment. Circuses and zoos are the two most relevant forms of animal mistreatment. Both of these are sources of entertainment for children and adults. Zoos declare that the...
Cockfighting is not cruel in any way. All male domestic fowl reach an age when they attain sexual maturity and the courage to fight. Gamecocks are not entered into cockfights until they are at least two years old. On the other hand, meat chickens have been genetically developed to grow quickly enough to be slaughtered at six weeks of age. If the gamecock was not bred in the first place, he would never have the opportunity to reach his courage day, which the meat chicken never lives to.
Some aspects of Animal abuse are completely avoidable, the cruelty brings no scientific knowledge, food, or testing. In the entertainment industry “wild and exotic animals are trained through the use of intimidation and physical abuse. Former circus employees have reported seeing animals beaten, whipped, poked with sharp objects and even burned to force them to learn their routines!”(dosomething) Cruelty for entertainment is not a fair trade by any means.