The good thing about cockfighting is that you get to see everything that happens behind the
scenes. Just stand by the bar at the Club Gallistico San Miguel, and
you will see men setting their cocks on plastic tables, that would otherwise be used for food and drinks.
Like stylists, the cock
managers will skillfully clip the feathers on their bird´s neck to allow for
greater mobility. They´ll sharpen it´s claws with a knife, and wrap its toes in
sports tape. They´ll attach sharp razors on
the bird´s legs, that will enable the cock to strike a fatal blow on its opponent. And
the more superstitious managers may even douse a strange potion over their cock — the bird of course — hoping that this bit of magic will ensure victory.
There are almost no women in cockfighting venues. So inside the
ring men may play cards and socialize, until the two angry birds are released
from their cages on the arena. The
spectators will watch closely as the quick cocks pound each other with their beaks
and slice each other´s bodies with their flying claws. But they will also stick
their ear out for good bets.
Anyone can
propose a wager to anyone else in the stands and a simple nod, is enough to
secure the bet. There´s no paper involved
in Cock bets, no lawyers or stamps. A cockfighting bet is a deal “between men”
and a cockfighters´ word — la palabra de
gallero — is supposed to be as good as gold.
The fights have
a twelve minute time limit, but you´re not likely to see a full length combat. Some cocks will die quickly from a razor on
their throat, others may collapse in exhaustion, and die slowly as their
opponent finishes them off with several pecks on the head. Once in a while there may be a tie, and the injured
animals will live to fight another day.
You may
call this cruelty against animals. But
it seems that cock fighting aficionados prefer to see their sport in a more enlightened
form.
“We´re
helping the process of natural selection” said Mr Gutierrez, an owner of thirty
fighting cocks who kindly introduced me to the rules of the sport. “When two
cocks meet in real life” he added with a shrug, “they will always try to kill each
other over mating rights”.
It may be too much Darwinism for some to bear,
but Cockfighting is a legal sport in Colombia and there are hundreds of
rings dispersed across
big cities and small towns across the country. Bogota boasts
11 cock venues, with fights taking place every day except Tuesday.
One of them is the “Club Gallistico San Miguel”, a 53 year old structure that is conveniently located on Calle 77 with Carrera 19. Fights take
place here on Wednesday and Fridays nights from 8pm until there are no more cocks to
fight, which is usually around 3am. General
seating costs 15,000 pesos, and ringside tickets will set you back some 40 to
50 thousand.
If you need
to take a break from the excitement , or if you simply can´t bear to see more
blood and death, there´s a bar that serves reasonably priced aguardiente and
beer on the club´s ground floor. There´s also a cheap chicken restaurant around
the corner. (photos by Manuel Rueda)
