In today’s podcast, we speak about blood sports. You’ll learn vocabulary connected to bull fighting, fox hunting, cock fighting, badger baiting and dog fighting and we’ll give you our personal opinion on this controversial topic. 

Good news! The issue with the website inglespodcast.com has now been solved.

Email from Alberto from Australia

Several months ago, I came up with an idea for your podcast. It could be expanded into different topics across several episodes.
The idea is simple: British culture.
You could talk about the evolution of music, different political movements (and how they affected society), history, cuisine, and even why politeness plays such an important role in British English—especially when compared to Spanish or Australian culture. As you know, in Spain we tend to take it for granted, and in Australia, things are so laid-back that you really have to be quite rude to offend someone!

Voice message from Antonio from Sevilla.
What he saw made him XtoX fall deeply in love with bullfighting

Bullfighting

Bullfighting is/was a traditional spectacle in Spain and some Latin American countries. In a bullfight, a matador faces a bull in a bullring. The matador or bullfighter uses a red cape to control the bull’s movements and show skill and bravery. The fight usually ends with the bull being killed using a sword that is plunged into the back of the neck of the bull to reach the heart or a main artery quickly. Supporters see bullfighting as art and culture, while critics argue it is cruel and should be banned.
Could Spanish bullfighting exist without killing the bull? In Portugal they don’t kill the bull.
The bull meat is eaten after the fight. Some people say the bull has had a good life, better than animals that are factory farmed.

Cockfighting

Cockfighting is a contest between two roosters or cocks, often held in a small ring called a pit. The birds usually wear sharp spurs on their legs to make the fight more dangerous. Spectators often place bets on which rooster will win. Supporters see it as an old tradition, but opponents say it is cruel and causes unnecessary suffering. It is still popular in The Philippines, South-east Asia and some Latin American countries. In many countries, cockfighting is now illegal.
Should the law only punish organisers, or also spectators?

Dog Fighting

Dog fighting is an illegal sport where two dogs, often pit bulls, are forced to fight each other. The animals are trained to be aggressive, and the fights can cause serious injuries or death. Dog fighting usually takes place in secret and is linked to gambling and crime. Animal welfare groups strongly oppose it, and rescued dogs often need special care and rehabilitation.
Why are some breeds, like pit bulls, used for dog fighting and others not?

Fox Hunting

Fox hunting is a traditional activity in the countryside, especially in Britain. Hunters ride horses and use packs of hounds to chase a fox across fields and forests. The aim is for the dogs to catch and kill the fox. Supporters call it a cultural tradition and a way to control fox numbers, but many people see it as cruel. In the UK, fox hunting with dogs is now banned (since 2005).
Can drag hunting (no animal killed) replace real fox hunting?
Do city and countryside people?? country folk? see this issue differently?

Badger baiting

A very cruel so-called sport in which small trained dogs are sent down setts (system of underground chambers) to look for badgers. If they come across a badger in the sett, they gang up on it to keep it captive until the baiters (the men involved) dig out the badger. Then the small dogs, joined sometimes by larger dogs, attack the badger until it dies. The dogs also often suffer horrific injuries or death. Often the badgers are injured by the baiters before the attack, including broken jaws or limbs, purely to make the fight last longer. Though banned in the UK since the 19th century, the police still occasionally catch badger baiters today.
Can any right-minded person seriously consider badger baiting to be genuine “sport”?

…and now it’s your turn to practise your English. What’s your view on blood sports?
Send us a voice message. https://www.speakpipe.com/inglespodcast
Send us an email with a comment or question to [email protected] or [email protected]

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In next week’s episode: Personality tests – Are you a helper, an achiever, a peacemaker, an individualist? FInd out next week!

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The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called ‘See You Later’