bear-baiting
Chained beast, dogs
Bear-baiting was a blood sport in which dogs were set upon a chained bear for entertainment.
Popular in England from medieval times until banned in 1835, it drew crowds who wagered on the outcome.
The term now serves as a historical reference point for animal cruelty: The Puritans opposed bear-baiting not from compassion but because spectators enjoyed it.
Entertainment through harm
- ElizabethanOf late 1500s England
- TudorSixteenth-century English ruling family
- mastiffLarge, powerful guard breed
- tetheredFastened by a line
arena · spectacle · wagering · Southwark · Henry VIII · entertainment · cruelty · chains
Deliberate infliction of suffering
- abuseCruel or violent treatment
- sufferingSustained experience of distress
- captiveOne held by force
- muzzledPrevented from speaking
chained · attacked · wounds · dogs · mauling · exploitation · inhumane · distress
Officially disallowed
- outlawedForbidden by law
- illegalForbidden by statute
- 1835A specific calendar year
- animal welfareNon-human health and treatment
reform · activism · legislation · criminalized · enforcement · abolition · humanitarian · protection
blood sport
Entertainment through harm
- ElizabethanOf late 1500s England
- TudorSixteenth-century English ruling family
- mastiffLarge, powerful guard breed
tethered · arena · spectacle · wagering · Southwark · Henry VIII · entertainment · cruelty · chains · stake
torture
Deliberate infliction of suffering
muzzled · chained · attacked · wounds · dogs · mauling · exploitation · inhumane · distress · trapped
banned
Officially disallowed
animal welfare · reform · activism · legislation · criminalized · enforcement · abolition · humanitarian · protection · campaigners
bear-baitingwildlife rehabilitation
Treating injured wild creatures
animal rescue · wildlife conservation · animal welfare · humane treatment · animal protection