An English photographer has captured the bloodthirsty world of cockfighting in the Philippines in a series of stunning images.
John Bolloten from Bradford, England, photographed the cockfights in Pasay City Cockpit, Manila, between 2019 and 2020.
The photos show birds equipped with 3-inch knife-shaped leg spurs engaging in “hacking battles” as they are forced to fight each other to the death.
Spectators can also bet on the brutal fighting that kills 30 million birds each year and raises up to £9.6 million in government revenue each month.
Mr Bolloten said that while cockfighting was a ‘difficult thing to watch’ and a ‘very intense environment’, it was important to ‘honestly’ capture the 6,000-year-old tradition.
John Bolloten from Bradford, England, photographed the cockfights in Pasay City Cockpit, Manila, between 2019 and 2020
The photos show birds equipped with 3-inch bladed paw marks engaging in ‘hacking battles’ as they are forced to fight each other to the death
Spectators can also be seen betting on the brutal fighting that kills up to 30 million birds each year and raises up to £9.6 million in government revenue each month
The owner and trainer bring their bird into the arena and prepare them for battle. The signal is then given to start the fight and the roosters will usually fly towards each other and try to deal some serious blows.
Because these attacks are fast and the birds are covered in feathers, it’s actually hard to discern what’s happening until they disintegrate. Combat can last anywhere from 30 seconds to over five minutes.
Victory is declared with the death of one bird and then the winner is rushed to the makeshift medical center at the back of the arena to receive emergency medical attention.
Antibiotics are given, wounds are stitched and broken limbs are cared for. Occasionally, the winning rooster succumbs to his injuries during treatment.
However, most will make a full recovery and be ready to fight again in a few months. The dead losing bird is prepared by the on-site butcher and the winning owner takes it home for dinner.
The owner and trainer bring their bird into the arena and prepare it for battle as spectators watch from the sidelines
The signal is then given to start the fight and the roosters will usually fly towards each other and try to deal some serious blows
Because these attacks are fast and the birds are covered in feathers, it’s actually hard to discern what’s happening until they disintegrate
Victory is declared with the death of one bird and then the winner is rushed to the makeshift medical center at the back of the arena to receive emergency medical attention
Antibiotics are given, wounds are stitched and broken limbs are cared for. Occasionally, the winning rooster succumbs to his injuries during treatment
However, most will make a full recovery and be ready to fight again in a few months. The dead losing bird is prepared by the on-site butcher and the winning owner takes it home for dinner
Held daily in the country’s 2,500 stadiums, the events feature numerous ring-side bookies talking to each other in a bewildering mix of jargon and hand gestures before each fight takes place.
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte helped revive the multibillion-dollar industry – known as ‘Sabong’ – after it collapsed during the Covid pandemic.
Mr Duterte granted licenses to seven gambling companies to operate online ‘e-Sabong’, streaming the cockfights 24 hours a day and allowing spectators to wager a minimum of £2.75 using their mobile phones.
The controversial sport’s popularity soared alongside government revenue, which brought in £9.6 million each month.
Held daily in the country’s 2,500 stadiums, the events feature numerous bookies on the ring talking to each other in a bewildering mix of jargon and hand gestures before each fight takes place.
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte helped revive the multibillion-dollar industry – known as ‘Sabong’ – after it collapsed during the Covid pandemic
Mr Duterte granted licenses to seven gambling companies to operate online ‘e-Sabong’, streaming the cockfights 24 hours a day and allowing spectators to wager a minimum of £2.75 using their mobile phones.
The controversial sport’s popularity soared alongside government revenue, which brought in £9.6 million each month
The sport’s spike in popularity has been linked to gambling brand Pitmasters, which has a near-monopoly on the online business model.
The owner of the group, Charlie Ang, told the Japanese times it generates more than 700 billion pesos (£10.7 billion) in wagering annually – more than double the gross gaming revenue of the country’s casinos in 2019.
But the blood sport has also drawn opposition from animal rights activists such as PETA senior vice president Jason Baker.
Baker told the Japan Times that the expansion of “e-sabong” was a “cruel and unethical” practice of a “desperate” and “dying” industry.
He said: “Moving this cruel and unethical practice online is a desperate move by a dying industry. Birds are mutilated, injected with steroids and forced to fight to their unnecessary deaths.’
But the blood sport has also drawn opposition from animal rights activists such as PETA senior vice president Jason Baker
Mr Baker told the Japan Times that the expansion of ‘e-sabong’ was a ‘cruel and unethical’ practice of a ‘desperate’ and ‘dying’ industry
He added: ‘Birds are mutilated, injected with steroids and forced to fight to their needless deaths’