Pitting Bull Against Bull : Thai-Style <i> Corrida </i> a Game for Bettors

Two bulls goring each other on a muddy field in Thailand is a far cry from the ritualized bullfights of Spain, which pit man against beast, but the intensity of the Thai conflict’s popular appeal is the same.

An American on vacation in southern Thailand cheered wildly, along with a crowd of big bettors watching two bulls battle it out on a waterlogged field in Trang, until one bull was worn down and ran away.

“It’s exciting to see animal fighting animal,” Harold Ladderman said. “I don’t think it’s cruel because one bull can run away when it has had enough.”

Traditional bullfighting is one of the top gambling sports in southern Thailand, with crowds ranging from top politicians and police chiefs to peasants.

Fights sell out weeks in advance and bettors venerate bulls with special names such as Daeng Kumanthong (Red Golden Child) and Daeng Raja (Red King).

‘Greedy Punters’

“Bullfighting is very fair. What you see is what you get,” said one fan.

“Nobody can fix the game, unlike boxing where betting can be much more risky because of greedy punters (bettors) who try to fix the game,” he added.

Bullfighting has always been an important part of festivals in the southern Thai provinces of Songkla, Pattalung, Trang and Nakorn Srithammarat.

The contest begins with a drum roll. Then the bulls, tethered face to face, are released from their ropes to attack each other with their sharp horns.

Bets are placed by hand signals during the fights, which last for anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour.

“All people here come to bet, so they don’t mind paying a 600 baht ($24) admission fee,” a fan said.

Vinit Singkajornvorakul, 50, who owns 16 bulls, selects his fighting bulls at the age of 2.

‘Long Ears, Small Eyes’

“The signs of a good fighting bull are long ears, small eyes, a short face and long hair,” Vinit said.

A special diet for two years, a harsh training regime--including forced runs with two 20-pound sandbags strapped to their necks to build up neck muscles--prepares the young bulls for the arduous battle in a waterlogged arena.

Vinit said there were about 600 fighting bulls in the four southern provinces, with weekly contests taking place at legally registered sites.

Bullfights are not held anywhere else in Thailand. In other areas, bettors wager on bouts between fighting cocks or between tiny Siamese fighting fish.

“This is part of our heritage in the south, which we have to preserve at all costs,” Vinit said. “We do not see it as cruel to animals because it is very rare that a bull will fight to the death.”