Insect fight videos bug animal rights activists
A broadcast of a fight between a spider and a centipede / Captured from the Internet
By Kim Jae-heun
A furious centipede bites off a spider's leg. The spider slowly dies as those who bet on the centipede cheer.
This is just one of scores of bug-fighting videos accessible to anyone on a Japanese website.
These sites have become so popular that some fans watch the videos daily and even try to film their own bug fights.
Some Korean bug-fighting sites have also been created. Mostly, poisonous bugs such as scorpions, wasps, spiders and centipedes are put in a cage one-on-one, and the fight ends only when one bug is killed.
"Bug-fighting is definitely stimulating and I am curious to find out the winner. But it's gross at the same time," said university student You Seo-ho. "It's like an insect version of the Ultimate Fighting Championship."
Animal rights activists have demanded strict punishment for those who set up the fights and use the videos for commercial purposes.
However, under the country's Animal Protection Law, creatures without a backbone or a developed nervous system are not considered animals.
This means those who abuse insects cannot be punished.
Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (CARE) president Jeon Chae-eun ascribed the popularity of bug-fighting to people's internal lust for violence.
"Bug-fighting is a similar concept to that of boxing, where people are set up to fight each other," Jeon said.
"Korean students grow up collecting insects to learn about the different kinds, but nobody learns about the sanctity of animal life. Adults have to educate children not to kill insects for his or her curiosity."
Jeon said the law should be revised so people who abused insects could be punished.
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) official ministry official Na In-ji agreed there was a legal loophole.
"Some countries are considering a plan to include invertebrates under their animal protection laws," he said. "But Korea is still one of the many countries neglecting the abuse of animals without a backbone."
Online broadcaster Afreeca TV recently blocked access to bug-fighting videos, which have attracted more than 11 million views.