A man in India was reportedly fatally injured after he was cut by a razor attached to a rooster during an illegal cockfight. The incident happened after the rooster broke free from one of the cockfight’s organizers.
In the United States, cockfighting is illegal in all 50 states. In fact, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), it’s illegal in 43 states, as well as the District of Colombia, to even be a spectator at a cockfight, regardless of whether or not a person is actively participating. However, cockfighting is legal in places like Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As for the rest of the world, the legality of cockfighting varies from place to place. In India, where this incident took place, it’s illegal to be affiliated with a cockfight, let alone take part in one. The fights were officially banned in India in 1960.
According to the New Zealand Herald, a rooster had broken free from one of the fight’s organizers during a cockfight in Andhra Pradesh, India. The rooster had a blade tied to it, and as it broke free prior to fighting, the blade cut a spectator named Saripalli Venkateswara Rao. Sadly, the wounds he sustained during the cockfight were fatal.
Though illegal, cockfighting is a fairly regular occurrence in some parts of India on account of a Hindu festival day called Makar Sankranti. Cockfighting is a popular event during this event. In fact, using animals to fight in any capacity is a fairly popular underground event in all parts of the world. It wasn’t until 2008 that dog fighting was considered a felony in the US, and it wasn’t until 2014 that attending as a spectator was illegal. This particular brand of fighting had been a profitable industry since the late 19th century. Now, being affiliated with an animal fighting event can result in a three-year prison sentence and a fine of $250,000.
Underground activities like cockfights and dog fights have been displayed on screen in a number of films, so even though the general public may not have any personal affiliation with them, they’re well aware of how dangerous and unethical they are. In Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Amores Perros, Gael García Bernal’s character Octavio is put into a position to enter his dog into illegal dog fighting. The outcome turns out to be as unfortunate as one might expect.
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Source: New Zealand Herald, NCSL, ASPCA