Hyena-baiting is a

blood sport A blood sport or bloodsport is a category of sport or entertainment that involves bloodshed. Common examples of the former include combat sports such as cockfighting and dog fighting, and some forms of hunting and fishing. Activities character ...

involving the baiting of

hyenas Hyenas, or hyaenas (from Ancient Greek , ), are feliformia, feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae . With only four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family (taxonomy), family in the Carnivora and ...

against

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relativ ...

History

The striped hyena has historically been the most frequently used species. Hyenas can be challenging opponents for dogs, as their jaws are exceedingly powerful. A single bite from a hyena lasting a few seconds without holding on is sufficient to kill a large dog. Hyenas apparently fight dogs by trying to cripple them by biting at their legs.''Elements of geology: including fossil botany and palaeontology. A popular treatise on the most interesting parts of the science. Designed for the use of schools and general readers'' By John Lee Comstock Published by Farmer, Brace & co., 1857 432 pages The Qalandar and the Thori in southern

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the ca ...

and

Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in south-west of the country close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is the capital of the ...

, catch striped hyenas in order to pit them against specially trained dogs. The hyenas are restrained with ropes in order to pull them away from the dogs if necessary. In

Baluchistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

, captured hyenas sometimes had

bridle A bridle is a piece of equipment used to direct a horse. As defined in the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', the "bridle" includes both the that holds a bit that goes in the mouth of a horse, and the reins that are attached to the bit. Headgear ...

s placed in their mouths in order to prevent them from injuring the dogs. This was done in order to train the dogs into not fearing the animal. It is known that a

Dogue de Bordeaux The Dogue de Bordeaux, Bordeaux Mastiff, French Mastiff or Bordeauxdog is a large French mastiff breed. A typical brachycephalic mastiff breed, the Bordeaux is a very powerful dog, with a very muscular body. This muscular breed has been put to ...

bitch named Megre was pitted against hyenas in 1895, though the exact species was not identified.

References

{{Baiting Hyenas Baiting (blood sport) Dog-related professions and professionals Cruelty to animals

History

See also

References