Ram fighting is a blood sport between two rams (large-horned male sheep), held in a ring or open field. It is commonly found in sheep or goat husbandry culture in Africa, Asia and Europe. [1] In Nigeria, Uzbekistan and Indonesia, ram fighting gains popularity among locals. [2] Although categorized as a blood sport and an act of animal cruelty, ram fights rarely resulted in the death of the defeated ram, as the loser often is allowed to flee the arena.
In the wild, ram fights occurs naturally as a bovine behaviour to settle dominance hierarchy — a contest for alpha male status among virile rams, by ramming their heads into others. [1] Traditionally, the male aggressiveness is not a desirable quality among sheep husbandry, as the sheep farmers prefer a docile sheep and eliminate the aggressive ones through series of selective breedings. This is the main practice of sheep domestication over time. However, farmers and shepherds traditionally may take ram fighting as an occasional pastime or entertainment, and look for this behaviour as the sign of virility, health, and also good gene and immune system.
In some cultures it has been developed into a "game" or a sport, or even held as "national pastime" which sometimes involves betting. Today in some countries, there are efforts to bring the fighting into mainstream by regulating the rules, ensure the fairness and the welfare of the fighting rams. [2] In Uzbekistan, ram fighting is held as part of Asrlar Sadosi. [3] In West Java, Indonesia, ram fighting is held as popular entertainment and ritual. [4] It is associated with the town of Garut, near Bandung. [5] In Nigeria, owners of the participating rams have made large investments to specially train their rams since their youth solely for competitions only, in which there are grand prizes, such as automotive vehicles, for the winners of these fights. [6]
A kite is a tethered heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create lift and drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have a bridle and tail to guide the face of the kite so the wind can lift it. Some kite designs do not need a bridle; box kites can have a single attachment point. A kite may have fixed or moving anchors that can balance the kite. The name is derived from the kite, the hovering bird of prey.
Cockfighting is a blood sport involving roosters ("cocks"), held in a ring called a cockpit. The first documented use of the word gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or entertainment, was recorded in 1634, after the term "cock of the game" used by George Wilson, in the earliest known book on the sport of cockfighting in The Commendation of Cocks and Cock Fighting in 1607. But it was during Magellan's voyage of discovery of the Philippines in 1521 when modern cockfighting was first witnessed and documented for Westerners by the Italian Antonio Pigafetta, Magellan's chronicler, in the Kingdom of Taytay.
The water buffalo, also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Italy, the Balkans, Australia, North America, South America and some African countries. Two extant types of water buffalo are recognized, based on morphological and behavioural criteria: the river buffalo of the Indian subcontinent and further west to the Balkans, Egypt and Italy and the swamp buffalo, found from Assam in the west through Southeast Asia to the Yangtze valley of China in the east.
Animal sacrifice is the ritual killing and offering of one or more animals, usually as part of a religious ritual or to appease or maintain favour with a deity. Animal sacrifices were common throughout Europe and the Ancient Near East until the spread of Christianity in Late Antiquity, and continue in some cultures or religions today. Human sacrifice, where it existed, was always much rarer.
Nsukka is a town and a Local Government Area in Enugu State, Nigeria. Nsukka shares a common border as a town with Edem, Opi, Ede-Oballa, and Obimo.
The Herdwick is a breed of domestic sheep native to the Lake District in North West England. The name "Herdwick" is derived from the Old Norse herdvyck, meaning sheep pasture. Though low in lambing capacity and perceived wool quality when compared to more common commercial breeds, Herdwicks are prized for their robust health, their ability to live solely on forage, and their tendency to be territorial and not to stray over the difficult upland terrain of the Lake District. It is considered that up to 99% of all Herdwick sheep are commercially farmed in the central and western Lake District.
Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. It is a branch of animal husbandry. Sheep are raised principally for their meat, milk, and fiber (wool). They also yield sheepskin and parchment.
Ovis is a genus of mammals, part of the Caprinae subfamily of the ruminant family Bovidae. Its seven highly sociable species are known as sheep or ovines. Domestic sheep are members of the genus, and are thought to be descended from the wild mouflon of central and southwest Asia.
Cricket fighting is a hobby and gambling activity involving the fighting of male crickets. Unlike blood sports such as bullfighting and cockfighting, cricket fighting rarely causes injuries to the animals. It is a popular pastime in China and dates back more than 1,000 years to the Tang dynasty. However, the sport has been losing its popularity in China.
Sarmishsay is located in the Karatau Mountain Range in the Nurata District of Navoiy Region of Uzbekistan. The gorge contains archeological remains dating back as far as the Stone Age, including two petroglyph sites with a total of 10,000 ancient rock carvings. According to UNESCO, it is the largest and most important rock art monument in Uzbekistan.
Spider fighting or spider derby is a sport involving spiders that occurs in different forms in several areas of the world. Among them are the Philippines, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia. The fights that occur in the Philippines and in Japan are staged between females of various species of web weavers. Female spiders will kill a rival if the loser does not quickly flee or receive the aid of a human handler. The contests that are staged in Singapore and Malaysia are fights between male jumping spiders. The males fight only for dominance, and ordinarily the loser will flee, though sometimes they will lose a leg in the fight.
Dehorning is the process of removing the horns of livestock. Cattle, sheep, and goats are sometimes dehorned for economic and safety reasons. Disbudding is a different process with similar results; it cauterizes and thus destroys horn buds before they have grown into horns. Disbudding is commonly performed early in an animal's life, as are other procedures such as docking and castration. In some cases, it can be unnecessary.
Domestic sheep reproduce sexually much like other mammals, and their reproductive strategy is furthermore very similar to other domestic herd animals. A flock of sheep is generally mated by a single ram, which has either been chosen by a farmer or has established dominance through physical contest with other rams. Most sheep have a breeding season (tupping) in the autumn, though some are able to breed year-round.
Sheep or domestic sheep are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term sheep can apply to other species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated sheep. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Numbering a little over one billion, domestic sheep are also the most numerous species of sheep. An adult female is referred to as a ewe, an intact male as a ram, occasionally a tup, a castrated male as a wether, and a young sheep as a lamb.
Batibo is a name that refers to a town and a subdivision in Cameroon, Africa. It is located along the Trans-African Highway, 27 miles west of Bamenda and about 100 miles east of Nigeria. Batibo is the economic, social, political and cultural heartbeat of the Moghamo speaking people as well as the Greater Widikum tribe. Batibo, formerly referred to as Aghwi, is home to a people including farmers, traders, and craftsmen.
A bull is an intact adult male of the species Bos taurus (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species, bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, including for sacrifices. These animals play a significant role in beef ranching, dairy farming, and a variety of sporting and cultural activities, including bullfighting and bull riding.
The Forum of Culture and Arts of Uzbekistan Foundation, also known as The Fund Forum, established in February 2004, was an NGO in Uzbekistan, pursuing the goal of supporting domestic science, culture, education and sports. Among the founders and trustees of the Fund are famous figures of culture and arts from Uzbekistan and foreign countries. Chairperson of Board of Trustees is Gulnara Karimova. The Fund Forum is already the biggest public organisation in Uzbekistan, and it is also rapidly expanding its international activities, currently it has representative offices in Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo, Paris, Vienna, Geneva, Madrid, New York City, Berlin and London. The NGO was closed in November 2013.
"Asrlar Sadosi" is a festival of traditional Uzbek culture which attracts tens of thousands of local and overseas tourists every year and presents all the diversity of the national traditions and customs, handicrafts and cuisine, unique oral and non-material heritage. Asrlar Sadosi has been annually organised by The Fund Forum of Culture and Arts of Uzbekistan since 2008, in association with UNESCO since 2009.
Indonesian martial arts includes a variety of fighting systems native to or developed in the archipelago of Indonesia, both the age-old traditional arts, and the more recently developed hybrid combatives. In the Indonesian language the term bela-diri is used to mean martial art, and in essence the Indonesian fighting arts are meant as one's defence against perceived threat and assault. Other than physical training, they often include spiritual aspects to cultivate inner strength, inner peace and higher psychological ends.
