This Is Bad, Someone Is Selling Bettas Trained For Fighting

[keithp]

Its people like this that give people the idea its cool to fight bettas. http/www.atisonbetta.com/Bettafighters.asp

 

[Balloons&killies]

Its people like this that give people the idea its cool to fight bettas. http/www.atisonbetta.com/Bettafighters.asp

This is horrible .
Personally i dont really like bettas but seriously thats horrible.not even joking.

 

[nessar]

Yeah apparently they still fight them in Thailand.

 

[keithp]

Yeah apparently they still fight them in Thailand.

Yeah but if you look at the site they sell them to people in the US, which indicates people somewhere in the US are fighting them for profit those fish are not sold cheaply...

 

[woodstock]

My uncle fights them as well, for "pure sport" he says. I'm not holding him against anything (mainly because he's family), but what my relatives do is that they first get two bettas (wild bettas are said to be much stronger fighters) and fight them, Betting is optional. The loser is fed into the wild, and the winner returned to the wild. If it gets too boring, they release them both back. It's not just in Thailand either, I know it's at least VietNam too (since that's where I'm getting my info at).

It's still sick though, even more so knowing that people would actually BUY them for the PURPOSE of fighting them to the death. Ugh.

 

[NinjaSmurf]

Actually, from what I've read about betta fighting, they do NOT fight them to the death. Basically, they condition the fighters for at least a couple of weeks before fights. They go by size classes, so the bettas are evenly matched. They use bettas that have been bred for fighting, i.e. plakats (or just use wild bettas) and make sure they are bred well (mouth actually closes shut, hard bight, strong robust bodies, good swimmers... pretty much like breeding any working animal they are trying to get the ones most likely to actually do well). They also exercise them.

When they do fight them it is a closely watched match. As soon as one fish gives up they stop the fight and seperate the fish. Depending on where you are, the losers are either let go or kept as pets. The winners are often kept to be bred, or sometimes put into a private pond or patty in the hopes of breeding better fighters from other wild fish.

Personally I would rather see people fight bettas like this than two stupid jerks throwing two veiltails into a cup and just letting them kill each other...

 

[Tolak]

Personally I would rather see people fight bettas like this than two stupid jerks throwing two veiltails into a cup and just letting them kill each other...

Agreed, done properly it is like a well refereed boxing match.

 

[Ben M]

i still think it's cruel and pointless. if people want entertainment they should watch football.

cheers

 

[nessar]

Personally I would rather see people fight bettas like this than two stupid jerks throwing two veiltails into a cup and just letting them kill each other...

Agreed, done properly it is like a well refereed boxing match.

I agree its better than the veiltail example, but dogs are trained to fight, conditioned to fight, it is refereed and they dont fight to the death - does that make dog-fighting it okay?

I understand if the Thai do it, its a part of their culture, but with other countries its just the same as bear baiting.

 

[Ben M]

isn't fox hunting supposed to be part of our culture. that still doesn't make it right.

 

[Truck]

So what you're saying is, if it's part of their culture it's okay?

What is it with all of these silly threads in the last few days, fair play to curiosity 101 because she/he is doing something about it.

All these threads do, is promote arguments.

 

[bae1994]

isn't fox hunting supposed to be part of our culture. that still doesn't make it right.

great comment totally agree just because its part of there culture doesn't make it right

 

[keithp]

And again, in the US you cant release bettas into the wild, they will be eaten quickly or die in cold climates. So if someone is doing this in the US there is no nice way of doing it and the bettas most likely will be killed, die from neglect, or be fought to the death. Very few people will buy 2 bettas here and fight them until one gives up and seperate them, teens have too much fun seeing something die.... I see what people do and this fight site is just an invitation to do it more.

And dog fighting and cock fighting actually go on in New York illegally and people spend thousands of dollars on prepping their animal for a fight, some are well taken care if at first, but if they loose, the people loose profit, and the animals are most likely killed by the owners (and non-humanely either sometimes tortured.

Bettas will only fight in the wild over space or to mate, I dont think there is any reason for it to be seen in captivity. Bettas are more like owning a peacock or canary than fighting roosters, we appreciate them for their beauty.

 

[nessar]

I'm not saying it is right to do it if its part of their culture, I'm just saying that it is more understandable. They have been doing it for generations. Plus its in a different country so completely out of our hands. They won't just stop.

I'm saying that it is worse that others take on the practice that they have not been brought up with, because they are not as desensitised to it, and therefore know it is wrong.

 

[raptorrex]

So what you're saying is, if it's part of their culture it's okay?

What is it with all of these silly threads in the last few days, fair play to curiosity 101 because she/he is doing something about it.

All these threads do, is promote arguments.

well there have been a few threads, like this, over the past week or so. trying to put right what is wrong with everybody else. then you find posts complaining about people saying when things are wrong, within newer members tanks

for the record. i disagree with fighting fish. but with the right knowledge, a tank that size, is fine for some betas. the error is made, as some have said, by those buying the stuff. its ok to say "they dont give enough information", with the tank. but is it not up to US, the keepers, to know what we are doing, before we buy?