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<title>Ram fighting</title>
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<span id="openzim-page-title" class="mw-page-title-main"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Ram fighting</span></span>
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<p><b>Ram fighting</b> is a <a href="Blood_sport" title="Blood sport">blood sport</a> between two <a href="Sheep" title="Sheep">rams</a> (large-horned male sheep), held in a ring or open field. It is commonly found in sheep or goat <a href="Animal_husbandry" title="Animal husbandry">husbandry</a> culture in Africa, Asia and Europe.<sup id="cite_ref-LS-Rams_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-LS-Rams-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In <a href="Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a>, <a href="Uzbekistan" title="Uzbekistan">Uzbekistan</a> and <a href="Indonesia" title="Indonesia">Indonesia</a>, ram fighting gains popularity among locals.<sup id="cite_ref-NBC-Rams_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NBC-Rams-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Although categorized as a blood sport and an act of <a href="Animal_cruelty" class="mw-redirect" title="Animal cruelty">animal cruelty</a>, ram fights rarely resulted in the death of the defeated ram, as the loser often is allowed to flee the arena.
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2></div>
<p>In the wild, ram fights occurs naturally as a <a href="Bovidae" title="Bovidae">bovine</a> behaviour to settle dominance hierarchy — a contest for <a href="Alpha_male" class="mw-redirect" title="Alpha male">alpha male</a> status among virile rams, by ramming their heads into others.<sup id="cite_ref-LS-Rams_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-LS-Rams-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Traditionally, the male aggressiveness is not a desirable quality among sheep husbandry, as the sheep farmers prefer a docile sheep and eliminate the aggressive ones through series of <a href="Selective_breeding" title="Selective breeding">selective breedings</a>. This is the main practice of sheep <a href="Domestication_of_animals" class="mw-redirect" title="Domestication of animals">domestication</a> over time. However, farmers and shepherds traditionally may take ram fighting as an occasional <a href="Pastime" class="mw-redirect" title="Pastime">pastime</a> or <a href="Entertainment" title="Entertainment">entertainment</a>, and look for this behaviour as the sign of virility, health, and also good gene and immune system.
</p><p>In some cultures it has been developed into a "<a href="Game" title="Game">game</a>" or a <a href="Sport" title="Sport">sport</a>, or even held as "national pastime" which sometimes involves <a href="Gambling" title="Gambling">betting</a>. Today in some countries, there are efforts to bring the fighting into mainstream by regulating the rules, ensure the fairness and the welfare of the fighting rams.<sup id="cite_ref-NBC-Rams_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NBC-Rams-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In Uzbekistan, ram fighting is held as part of <a href="Asrlar_Sadosi_Festival_of_Traditional_Culture" title="Asrlar Sadosi Festival of Traditional Culture">Asrlar Sadosi</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In <a href="West_Java" title="West Java">West Java</a>, <a href="Indonesia" title="Indonesia">Indonesia</a>, ram fighting is held as popular entertainment and ritual.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It is associated with the town of <a href="Garut" title="Garut">Garut</a>, near <a href="Bandung" title="Bandung">Bandung</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In Nigeria, owners of the participating rams have made large investments to specially train their rams since their youth solely for competitions only, in which there are grand prizes, such as automotive vehicles, for the winners of these fights. <sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2></div>
<ul><li><a href="Cockfighting" title="Cockfighting">Cockfighting</a></li>
<li><a href="Dog_fighting" title="Dog fighting">Dog fighting</a></li>
<li><a href="Siamese_fighting_fish" title="Siamese fighting fish">Betta fighting</a></li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>
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<li id="cite_note-LS-Rams-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-LS-Rams_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-LS-Rams_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">
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</style><cite id="CITEREFBradford2014" class="citation web cs1">Bradford, Alina (31 July 2014). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.livescience.com/27724-rams.html">"Rams: Facts About Male Bighorn Sheep"</a>. <i>Live Science</i>.</cite></span>
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<li id="cite_note-NBC-Rams-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-NBC-Rams_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-NBC-Rams_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nbcnews.com/slideshow/ram-fighting-battles-acceptance-nigeria-n544761">"Ram Fighting Battles For Acceptance in Nigeria"</a>. <i>NBC News</i>. 25 March 2016.</cite></span>
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<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://caravanistan.com/events/asrlar-sadosi-festival-toprak-qala-celebrates-uzbekistan-traditions/">"Asrlar Sadosi festival celebrates Uzbek traditions"</a>. <i>Caravanistan</i>. 26 November 2012.</cite></span>
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<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.smh.com.au/video/video-system/video-ipad/ram-fighting-in-indonesia-20120126-1qimn.html">"Ram Fighting in Indonesia"</a>. <i>The Sydney Morning Herald</i>. 26 January 2012.</cite></span>
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<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.gettyimages.com/event/ram-fighting-in-indonesia-138659820">"Ram Fighting in Indonesia"</a>. <i>Getty Images</i>.</cite></span>
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<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GRGM&sw=w&u=lom_umichanna&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA444572813&sid=summon&asid=6c1ad0b3b3478fc7e03157d819edb214">"General Reference Center GOLD - Document - Ram Fighting to Feature At 2016 National Sports Festival"</a>. <i>go.galegroup.com</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2016-10-22</span></span>.</cite></span>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2></div>
<ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/feb/16/algeria-sheep-fighting-illegal-sport-angry-young-men">The brutal world of sheep fighting: the illegal sport beloved by Algeria’s 'lost generation'</a> — <i><a href="The_Guardian" title="The Guardian">The Guardian</a></i></li></ul>
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