Animal violence has long delighted humans. Brawls between creatures of all sorts have provided a source of entertainment since the dawn of domestication: By some estimates, cockfighting dates to the Indus Valley civilization. The bloody pastime may actually explain why jungle fowl were raised in captivity in the first place, perhaps giving rise to the domestic chicken. And it might even count as the world’s oldest spectator sport.
Since then, animal confrontations have drawn crowds around the world. Enthusiasm for dogfighting emerged in the wake of the Roman conquest of the British Isles — enterprising soldiers noticed the savage temperaments of the mastiffs used by their battlefield opponents and forced them to clash. For public enjoyment, Roman emperor Trajan pitted 11,000 animals against each other between A.D. 108 and 109.
Later on, the Elizabethans favored bull and bear baiting — arenas that featured these conflicts gave Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre a run for its money. People also have forced bettas, canaries and even crickets to fight for entertainment.
Beginning in the 19th century, mounting criticism slowly brought a stop to these practices in much of the world (at least, officially). Many countries now prohibit animal fights, but regulations frequently go unenforced.
