Poultry rearing is a common tradition among most farming communities worldwide as a source of meat, eggs or chicks to sell. But there is another use for some breeds of roosters — cockfighting. Now illegal in many countries, cockfighting continues in rural areas. Indian fighting roosters are popular with gamblers, who gather to watch them battle for a chance to make a few coins. In Egypt, both betting and animal fighting are illegal, and jail time will be the punishment for those participating, but that does not deter cockfighting devotees.
Fighting Roosters Still Popular in Egypt
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Breeding chickens is a common tradition among farming communities in Egypt. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
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Hamdino Elsharkawy has been breeding a unique strain of poultry known as Indian fighters for 40 years. His wife, Omu Karim, began helping him after they were married 24 years ago. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
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On a remote patch of barren land in the farming village of Tattay in Tanta, Egypt, bettors gather in a makeshift tent for Indian rooster fights each Thursday night. Betting and animal fights are illegal in Egypt. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
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The Indian rooster fight is an old tradition in Egypt with rules to ensure the cocks are of similar weights and appear roughly equal in size. (H. Elrasam/VOA)