Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/23
In Pictures: Huge hurricanes
In Pictures: Oh to be young again, Mr. President!
In Pictures: Facing the devastation of the Oklahoma tornadoes
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/22
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/21
In Pictures: Sinkholes around the world
In Pictures: What happened to the green revolution in Iran?
In Pictures: Sandy: Chronicle of an unrelenting storm
PIG RACING: Pigs with woolen jockeys attaches to their backs race during a community fair in Cushendun near Belfast, Northern Ireland, in July 2009. Cathal McNaughton/Reuters
DOGFIGHTING: Rescued dogs are seen inside a Cook County animal control vehicle following a raid at a residence in South Holland, Ill., in July 2007 Cook County Sheriff's police and South Holland police raided an alleged dog fighting breeding facility in a barn, removing dozens of dogs. Dogfighting, where dogs are made to and bred for fighting to the death in a ring, is an illegal, underground form of entertainment and gambling. Football player Michael Vick had a dog fighting operation on his property, for which he served a 23-month federal jail sentence. Warren Skalski/Chicago Tribune/AP
DONKEY BASKETBALL: Boys from Lowell High School in Lowell, Ore., face the girls in a game of donkey basketball in their school's gymnasium in January 2006. Donkey basketball is played on a standard basketball court, but all participants are on the backs of donkeys and is usually used as a fundraising event. Donkey basketball has been targeted by some who claim that the sport is cruel because the donkeys are hit, kicked, and dragged around by participants who often have no experience handling animals. Thomas Boyd/Zuma Press/Newscom/FILE
COCKFIGHTING: Here, two roosters are taught to play football by their owner in Shenyang, China, on July 8. Roosters are used in cockfighting, a blood sport that is now illegal throughout the United States, Brazil, and in most of Europe. The roosters are specially bred and are also known as gamecocks. Though considered brutal and cruel by many, cockfighting is still regularly practiced around the world and is even thought of as a cultural and religious event for some. AP
COURSING: Dogs chase a hare on the first day of the Waterloo Cup Hare Coursing event at Altcar, England, in February 2005. The event had been held since 1836 and was Britain's last major hare coursing event because of new anti-hunting laws. In coursing, animals are chased by dogs who try to catch 'the prey' with their speed and sight, not scent. Jon Super/AP
BULLFIGHTING: On July 28, bullfighting was banned in Catalonia, one of Spain's seventeen autonomous communities. Bullfighting has long been thought to be barbaric and cruel, and many protests have been held calling for its prohibition. In Spanish bullfighting, matadors use a cape and a sword to kill the bull. Here, a sign used in an anti-bullfighting rally is seen near the Catalan parliament in Barcelona, Spain, on July 28. Gustau Nacarino/Reuters
RODEOS: Stran Smith of Childress, Texas, tosses a lasso while competing in the tie-down roping competition at the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo in Wyoming on July 27. Rodeo is the official state sport of Wyoming and Texas and has drawn criticism from animal welfare groups who argue that the competitions are cruel to animals. Andy Carpenean/Laramie Boomerang/AP
THOROUGHBRED RACING: Racing horse Eight Belles is held down after the 134th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., in May 2008. Eight Belles finished second in the race, but two broken ankles forced her to collapse, and the horse needed to be euthanized immediately. The dangers of horse racing have prompted some to claim that racing is cruel to the animals. The AP found that such injuries occur regularly in every racing state. Tracks in California and New York, which rank first and sixth in thoroughbred races, combine to average more than one thoroughbred death for every day of the year. Brian Bohannon/AP
GREYHOUND RACING: Greyhounds wait to be led to the track at Wichita Greyhound Park in Kansas in November 1996. The dogs traditionally chase a lure around a track and the one that crosses the finish line first is the winner. The sport has its origins in coursing, and has come under criticism for the mistreatment of the dogs. Massachusetts banned greyhound racing in January 2009. Monty Davis/AP/FILE
POLO: Britain's Prince Harry plays polo in the Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic on Governor's Island in New York on June 27. PETA UK wrote about the death of one of the Princes polo ponies, Drizzle, in May, saying that the horse's death is not an isolated incident. Some criticize polo saying it is very grueling for the ponies physically. Lucas Jackson/Reuters
BUZKASHI: Similar to polo, Buzkashi is a team sport played in central Asia in countries such as Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. The goal of the game is for a player to grab the carcass of a headless goat or calf and get it across a goal line or into a target circle. During the Taliban's rule of Afghanistan, the national sport was banned since they considered it immoral. But with the ousting of the Taliban, Buzkashi is being played again. Buzkashi players are seen here in Kabul, Afghanistan, in December 2009. Omar Sobhani/Reuters
FOX HUNTING: Hounds of the Essex Hunt are led home after a hunt for foxes in Cooksmill Green, England, in September 2002. Bans on the sport were introduced in 2002 in Scotland, and 2004 in Britain. Hounds are usually used to track a fox by scent and are followed by a master of the foxhounds, who follows the dogs on horseback. Some have criticized fox hunting as cruel and unnecessary and others view it as traditional culture and beneficial for conservation and pest control. Max Nash/AP/FILE
CIRCUS: The use of animals in circuses is frequently criticized by animal welfare groups for animal cruelty and poor living conditions. Some countries like Sweden, Costa Rica, India, Finland, and Denmark, among others, have restricted the use of animals for entertainment, and animal-free circuses are becoming more popular. Here, a performer enters the arena with a lion at the Jan Baz circus in Islamabad, Pakistan, on July 21. Adrees Latif/Reuters
PALIO HORSE RACE: Horses participating in the Palio, a famous break-neck, bareback horserace around the Piazza del Campo in Italy, collide and fall down on July 2. One horse and rider from each of the 17 neighborhoods of Siena, Italy, must race around the slippery, dirt-covered, cobblestone track in the plaza. Animal rights groups have often expressed their concerns about the injuries and deaths of horses who frequently fall, collide, or are trampled during the race. Paolo Lazzeroni/AP
DOG SLED RACING: Some controversy surrounds the treatment of sled dogs, particularly in the Iditarod, one of the largest and most famous sled dog races. Racers are prohibited from participating if they are convicted of cruelty or neglect, but some argue that the dogs can face hypothermia and deaths due to the harsh terrain. PETA argues that the race is unfair and it's cruel to make the dogs run so far. Others argue that the dogs are born to run and that they love to do it. And many attest to the good treatment, care, and love that sled dog owners give to their dogs. Nathaniel Wilder/Reuters
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/23
In Pictures: Huge hurricanes
In Pictures: Oh to be young again, Mr. President!
In Pictures: Facing the devastation of the Oklahoma tornadoes
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/22
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/21
In Pictures: Sinkholes around the world
In Pictures: What happened to the green revolution in Iran?
In Pictures: Sandy: Chronicle of an unrelenting storm
Scotland will vote in 2014 whether to split off from England and the rest of the United Kingdom. Scottish nationalists argue that Scotland would be better off alone.
Ending Britain's 306-year rule would allow Scotland to reverse generations of economic mismanagement and free its lawmakers to boost economic growth, say Scottish nationalists campaigning to split from the UK.
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