Cockfighting causes severe suffering to roosters through trained fighting with artificial spurs. Despite bans in most countries, enforcement is inconsistent and the practice persists clandestinely.
Cockfighting welfare involves roosters deliberately causing severe injuries to each other with metal spurs attached to their legs. The activity causes traumatic injuries including deep lacerations, puncture wounds to vital organs, and death. The suffering is both acute and, for survivors, chronic - injured birds may go untreated in underground operations. While cockfighting is culturally embedded in some communities with long traditions, the welfare case is clear: the activity is designed to produce injury and death in sentient animals. Enforcement of existing bans remains challenging due to the clandestine nature of underground cockfighting operations.