Across the country, the mistreatment of animals stands out as a troubling issue with its own distinct pattern: the combination of an organized framework, certain social pockets that tolerate it, and the frequency with which it occurs. It is not merely an isolated act but a system that repeats itself with unsettling regularity.
Cockfights are driven by money. What drives the spectacle is not the thrill of watching two animals clash but the bets placed that keep the event alive. The financial stakes are substantial, with estimates suggesting that as much as one hundred thousand euros can circulate around a single bout. In some cases it is lower, yet in many others it climbs much higher. The money is the real engine behind the practice, fueling the lure and the risk involved.
Proof of the economic heft surrounding cockfighting can be found in the price tags of the birds themselves. Each rooster can command tens of thousands of euros, sometimes far more. Breeds from America, Southeast Asia, and Europe are often favored for qualities believed to be pure and fierce, and these prized birds carry correspondingly high price points. The allure lies as much in the pedigree as in the perceived combat prowess.
Abuse does not begin at the moment of a fight; it threads through every stage of the process. Training weeks ahead of a match, the cruel choreography of the event itself, and the wounding that follows are all part of a continuum. Roosters are fitted with sharp spurs or metallic blades, and owners sometimes apply glues or other improvised remedies, all in an attempt to ensure victory. In a world where animal life is devalued in practice, harm becomes routine and accepted. The birds endure painful pecks and injuries that accumulate until the arena becomes a place of severe harm rather than sport, with wounds mounting as the rounds unfold.
There is a personal, persistent takeaway from years of exposure to this world. Observers have witnessed clandestine networks connected to fighting operations, some of which have been dismantled with law enforcement interventions. The exposure has also brought threats to the observers themselves, underscoring the danger and the seriousness of the activity. Those who speak out describe a system that thrives on secrecy and fear, and they ask hard questions about how such practices are allowed to flourish. They question how breeding, sale, and keeping of fighting birds persist when the risks to animals are so evident and the legal frameworks around them remain murky or incomplete. The sentiment expressed is one of disbelief that an organization built around fighting roosters could still operate within or beside legal structures, and the author admits uncertainty about how such a situation could be sustained or justified over time. The moral landscape is stark: lives are treated as expendable in pursuit of a sport that casts a long shadow over animal welfare. This perspective emerges clearly from those who have watched the cruelty unfold and then tried to document it for the record, hoping that awareness might eventually drive change.
In sum, cockfighting is portrayed here as a multi-layered problem—economic, cultural, and ethical—whose effects ripple through the lives of the animals involved and through the communities that tolerate or profit from the practice. The author’s experience lends a voice to the concerns about breeding, ownership, and the legal status of fighting roosters, while also highlighting the personal dangers faced by those who dare to shed light on the realities behind the spectacle. The overarching question remains: how can such a tradition persist in a modern context where animal welfare is publicly prioritized and public policy continues to evolve? The answer to that question, for some, lies in stronger enforcement, greater transparency, and a broader conversation about the values that guide communities and their treatment of animals.
—End of testimony and reflection on the practice and its consequences, with emphasis on the need for vigilance and reform. This account aims to illuminate the lived experience of those who confront animal mistreatment and to spur ongoing dialogue about humane standards and regulatory measures.