By Michael Coy
BRITISH people often remark that bullfighting is cruel. Spanish fans point out that Britain is the home of fox-hunting. However, a Spanish secret is now being shown the light of day – cockfighting still exists, in 2025.
If we think about it at all, we vaguely associate cockfighting with the eighteenth century, and things like burning witches: human activities which we left behind when we became civilised. The truth is, it’s going on today – in Spain. Indeed, it’s growing in some places.
Only two regions – Andalucia and The Canaries – are allowed to stage actual fights, but there are breeders of fighting cocks in every part of Spain.
It is in the news again because a gypsy family in Valladolid has had its prize birds stolen, and has responded by issuing death threats via social network media. The truth is, there’s a lot of money in a practice which many of us would classify as barbaric. Vast sums of money change hands, betting on which cock will win.
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The ‘sport’ involves two birds, fighting sometimes to the death. The president of the Canary Islands Federation of Cockfighters, José Luis Martín, says that the cocks want to do it. “Animal rights activists are always claiming that we force them to fight, but it’s not true,” says Martín. Our rules prevent anyone from inciting the birds, and it would be impossible to make an animal fight if it didn’t want to.” He says that male aggression is an instinct.
“A cock wants to fight, it’s in his genes, and the mere sight of another male, even at a distance, will provoke its aggression.”
It is very rare in the animal world for animal ‘skirmishes’ to be serious. Sometimes male birds and mammals will dispute territory, but tussles don’t usually result in injuries. What makes cockfighting truly barbaric is that the birds have spikes and razor blades attached to their limbs.
PACMA is Spain’s society which condemns cruelty against animals. It is calling for an investigation into cock fighting, which it says should be totally and absolutely banned.
Section 75 of Spain’s Animal Welfare Law (2023) makes it a crime to train animals for combat. This same law says that a dog-owner who leaves a pet outside a supermarket could be liable for a fine of up to 500 euros. It seems odd that a country with civilised laws like this still has cock-fighting in 2025. The problem is, it’s a national law but it’s left to the regions to enforce it, and Andalucía and The Canaries are reluctant to eradicate the cock fight. Both of these autonomous communities have passed local laws permitting cock fights in certain circumstances.
José Luis Martín, who personally owns 300 fighting birds, says that the ‘sport’ is on the increase on all the Canary Islands, with the exception of Gomera, where it has never been popular. Anyone over 16 years of age can pay to see a cock fight (it costs 8 euros to get in).
“Two birds face off against each other, and the rules say the fight must stop after 10 minutes,” he explains. “Only 10% of the birds die. The vast majority of losing birds recover quickly from their wounds, and they’re soon ready to fight again.”
The Spanish fighting cock is small, but highly sought-after for its aggressive nature. Thousands of birds are sold to cock-fighting enthusiasts in South America and Southeast Asia. A typical cock costs 100 euros, but a proven champion can go for 60 times that price.
The Guardia Civil have specialised Animal Welfare units, and have recently broken up illegal cock-fighting rings in Murcia. Last Thursday (16 January) they confiscated 136 birds from a farm in Tudela de Duero.
If you see a 1950s black-and-white film on Spanish TV, you’ll see the whole community heading for the bullring on a Sunday afternoon. Today, almost no-one goes.
Toreros (Spanish people never call them ‘torreadors’) used to be big stars. Can you even name one today? It is obvious that the bullfight is declining. How long will it be before we can say the same about cock-fighting?
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