Animal sports run the gamut from racing, to fighting, to outright killing. Even the sports that the American public recognizes as extremely cruel persist in pockets. But some sports, like horse racing, aren't so clear cut. Are they cruel? Or just stressful?
We've rounded up a variety of animal sports used for our entertainment from all over the world. From the bizarre to the horrific, they test our sense of compassion for the animals with which we share our planet.
The Cruellest Animal Sports
Orangutan Boxing(01 of11)
This spring news broke about a bizarre form of entertainment in Thailand where orangutans are forced to wear boxing gloves and fight each other in the ring. During the match female orangutans in bikinis parade around the ring displaying the round numbers. (credit:Getty)
Hare Coursing(02 of11)
Hare coursing sends greyhounds after rabbits to test the dogs’ strength and skill. The last part of the United Kingdom to have hare coursing, Northern Ireland, banned the practice this summer. (credit:AP)
Greyhound Racing(03 of11)
Greyhound racing is outright banned in some states, and completely unregulated in others. The National Greyhound Association has strict regulations requiring care for the dogs and the American Greyhound Council pays unannounced visits to breeding farms to make sure the conditions are humane. The ASPCA, however, opposes greyhound racing on the grounds the dogs are overworked, kept in cramped conditions, injured often, and disposed of easily after a short time racing. (credit:AP)
Bullfighting (04 of11)
Bullfighting, which is popular in Spain, Southern France, Portugal, and several Latin American countries, is alternately seen as an art and a blood sport. The toreros execute maneuvers in the ring in close proximity to the bull, finally slaying the bull with a thrust of a sword. It’s not surprising that animal rights groups oppose the practice. (credit:AP)
Cock Fighting(05 of11)
Cock fighting is a blood sport in which two roosters bred for meanness are placed in a ring together and encouraged to fight to the death. It is now banned in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, but it persists. (credit:AP)
Dog Fighting(06 of11)
You've heard of dog fighting by now, especially thanks to a certain football player.Pit bulls were actually bred to perform best as fighting dogs – they’re a mix between bulldogs and terriers. But pit bulls aren’t mean by nature; they become mean through training and mistreatment. In the last couple of decades impromptu, street dogfights has staged a troubling rise in popularity. (credit:AP)
Bear Baying(07 of11)
Proponents of bear baying say it’s necessary practice for their dogs, but many just see it as cruel and dangerous for both the bear and the dogs involved. In bear baying, dogs are released on a bear that is chained inside a ring, barking and biting.
Horse Racing(08 of11)
It’s a controversial question, whether horse racing is cruel. Although the general population regards horse racing as an entertaining sport using beloved animals, horse racing can be intense for the horses, maybe too intense. The ASPCA does not support horse racing, citing extensive use of inflammatory drugs to keep injured horses on the track, racing too young horses, and racing the horses too much in bad conditions. The Humane Society does not oppose all horse racing, but does oppose cruel practices within the sport such as “drugs for non-therapeutic purposes to enable injured or disadvantaged animals to race, the racing of young animals whose bones and bodies have not matured sufficiently, the use of goads and whips, the soring of show horses, over-breeding, and other activities that cause unnecessary distress to horses.” (credit:AP)
Fox Hunting(09 of11)
Fox hunting varies widely from the United States to the England. In England the goal is to kill the fox, whose population is high. In the United States success means merely driving the fox into its hole, and centers around the pleasure of the chase, with many hunters claiming that they could only ever catch a fox who is lame or sick. (credit:AP)
Rodeo Bull Riding(10 of11)
It is a well-circulated myth that the bull’s testicles are tied up in order to get it bucking. Most bulls are bred to buck, and encouraged to do so with something called a flank strap that wraps around the bulls stomach like a belt, and dulled spurs.Some animal rights activists are completely opposed to bull riding, saying it is a cruel spectator sport. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association bans unnecessary roughness and abuse, requires care for all animals, and instructs that electric prods “may be used only when necessary and may only touch the animal on the hip or shoulder area.” Though “only when necessary” seems like a vague directive. Animal rights activists claim that abuse continues anyway at both professional and amateur rodeos. (credit:AP)
Bear Wrestling(11 of11)
Up until this summer, defenders of bear wrestling said there was nothing wrong with a little fun entertainment. The bear was never hurt, and the owner defended his right to allow people to take pictures with the bear as well as tussle with it. But in August the bear attacked his caretaker, who died after being taken to the hospital. (credit:AP)