Indonesian man killed by rooster’s blade during cockfight in Bali

The rooster, outfitted with a sharp metal spur known as a ‘taji’, lashed out and struck the victim in the stomach

A man has died after being fatally struck by a rooster’s blade at a cockfight in Bali, marking the second deadly incident linked to such events on the Indonesian island in recent weeks and prompting renewed scrutiny of the practice.

The victim, identified as I Nengah Sudana, aged about 50, was attending a tajen, or traditional Balinese cockfight, in the city of Denpasar on Sunday afternoon when the incident occurred.

Local media reported that one of the roosters, which had been outfitted with a sharp metal spur known as a taji, lashed out during the match and struck Sudana in the stomach.

“There was a fatality caused by the blade of a fighting rooster at the cockfighting arena in Abian Tubuh, Kesiman, East Denpasar,” police spokesman I Ketut Sukadi told local news outlet Detik on Monday.

Police said Sudana had been watching a cockfight when one of the roosters suddenly broke free before the match began and lunged towards another bird. A man nearby managed to dodge the attack, but Sudana, standing close by, was struck by the rooster’s taji.

“The victim, who was standing next to [the other spectator], was unable to avoid the attacking rooster and was struck, causing a wound,” Sukadi said.

Witnesses rushed Sudana to Puri Raharja Hospital, but he was declared dead before arrival. His body was later returned to his home village of Angantelu in Karangasem Regency that same evening.

No foul play was suspected in Sudana’s death, which police deemed an accident. There were no arrests reported as of Tuesday.

Cockfighting, while illegal in many parts of Indonesia, continues to take place in Bali where it is considered an essential part of some Hindu religious ceremonies, including Tabuh Rah rituals involving symbolic blood sacrifice. Outside ceremonial contexts, however, such events frequently raise legal and ethical questions.

The Denpasar case follows a deadly fight at a cockfighting arena in Bangli Regency on June 14, where a man was fatally stabbed during a brawl. Police said the suspect, a former convict, was also injured after being hit by a rooster’s blade. An investigation is ongoing.

Bali Deputy Governor I Nyoman Giri Prasta expressed concern about the incident on June 16 and attributed the violence to the “influence of alcohol at cockfighting arenas”, which he said “is significant and can trigger uncontrollable emotions”.

Bali’s provincial lawmakers responded in June by drafting a regional by-law to regulate cockfighting, particularly events tied to cultural traditions. Police backed the measure, stressing they supported the sport as a cultural practice, but gambling on it remained illegal.

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However, Governor Wayan Koster later rejected the proposal, saying ceremonial tajen did not need formal regulation, while reaffirming that gambling-linked events would be prohibited. Bali police have since reiterated that enforcement will continue wherever betting is involved.

There have been other fatal incidents involving fighting roosters. In January 2020, a 53-year-old man in Andhra Pradesh, India, died after being slashed by a blade strapped to a rooster during a cockfight. In a separate case in Telangana in February 2021, a 45-year-old man was fatally stabbed in the groin by a rooster he was handling before the match began.

A similar fatality occurred in the Philippines in October 2020, when a police officer was killed during a raid on an illegal cockfighting ring. While collecting evidence, he was accidentally slashed in the femoral artery by a rooster’s spur, causing rapid blood loss. The officer reportedly died within minutes.