Spider fighting
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Spider fighting is popular sport among rural Filipino children. The game starts by placing two spiders at the opposite ends of a stick from a walis ting-ting (broom made from the midribs of coconut leaves). The spiders are then lead to one another until they wrestle. The first one to drop off the stick loses. Top fighters can fetch up to 100 pesos (2 US$), making the sport a lucrative market for children.
The spiders are caught in trees although some prefer those found in electric wires which they believe are much tougher. After capture or fighting, the spiders are stabled in used matchboxes. These matchboxes usually have separate cells to house different spiders.
The practice is now generally discouraged since it damages educational performance of children. They spend too much time hunting and training spiders that lessons and homework are missed. They might also be attracted to gambling. Ordinances against the sport are now in effect in some cities. The sport might also be indirectly responsible for crop damage since spiders are useful in controlling insect pest populations.
