Cock Fighting in Manila. (c) Dan White/Panos Pictures.

Fighting chickens being prepared for the contest.

 

 

A razor sharp blade is attached to the leg of the bird.

 

 

The owners make side bets.

 

The betting starts in earnest.

 

 

Bookies and punters gesture to each other across the cockpit.

 

 

The fights are usually swift and deadly.

 

 

The referee ensures the loser is dead.

 

 

It is bad luck for a winning bird to die of its wounds after a fight, so they are patched up in a special chicken hospital at the back of the cockpit.

 

 

The loser is ready for the pot.