Ram fighting continues without regulation despite animal rights concerns

In Lagos, people are getting ready for a ram fighting competition at a local stadium. The people watching are either the owners of the rams or they were invited to attend. The ram owners see the fights as a sport where they can place bets. Most of the owners have regular jobs and do this as a hobby.

Like boxing, the rams are grouped by their weight. In the wild, rams fight by locking horns to show dominance over a herd. In this competition, they are encouraged to show this dominance in front of the crowd.

There are no official rules regulating this sport, so the care of the animals depends on the owners. These owners are not part of any official sports organization.

At this event, there are about 100 spectators, and 70 rams are entered into the competition. The owners say it’s not a bloody sport because the rams don’t fight to the death and rarely get hurt. One of the owners, 39-year-old Olalekan Ogunlaja, has over 10 rams and has been entering them in fights for more than 20 years.

The sport comes from a tradition in the 1980s and 1990s when young boys in Lagos would walk through the streets with their rams during the Muslim festival of Eid-el-Kabir. The boys would gather at different places and watch the rams playfully butt heads. Olalekan insists that the sport is not cruel, saying his rams are cared for like racehorses, and the fights are run just like boxing matches for humans.

“A lot of people say ram fighting is cruel, but we have our own rules. If any blood is shed, we stop the fight right away… and people don’t complain about human boxing,” Olalekan says.

Owners say the rams are usually 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 meters) long from head to tail and weigh between 262 and 280 pounds. They give their rams names, just like racehorses. Some of the names include “Smallie” (small but strong), “Desperado” (a desperate ram), and “Little Taskforce.”

There are specific rules for the fights. In a regular match, rams are allowed to hit each other 30 times. But in tournaments where people are betting, the rams can deliver 70 or more hits before the referee declares a draw.

Over the years, many animal rights activists have called for a ban on ram fighting in Nigeria. But fans of the sport argue it is just a competitive activity.

Adeniyi Adekunle-Michael, one of the spectators, says, “This is just something we do for fun. Some people don’t have time to play football, and some don’t even like watching football or basketball. But this is something they can watch live and enjoy in their free time.”

Ilias Ajuwon, a foreign exchange trader and fan of the sport, says, “We enjoy this. It’s part of us. Every Sunday, we go to different places to watch our rams fight.”

However, animal rights groups argue that the sport can cause brain damage to the rams. They say that the animals are often left without food or shelter for hours during tournaments.

Kizito Nwogu, an animal rights activist, says, “When you put a ram through such stressful conditions, it messes with their brain, and they become aggressive toward other rams and even humans.

Over time, these rams get worn out and die. People treat them like a way to make money and food without thinking about their well-being.”

Nwogu believes the government should ban ram fighting completely. He says, “I want the government to ban the sport along with the harmful practices that come with it.

The people who handle these rams don’t care about their welfare; they only care about making money. The rams are seen as objects, not as living creatures that deserve care.”