Cockfighting cruelty  I read your newspaper daily and enjoy the
travel section. However, when I read the article on Bali over
the weekend (Traveller, December 1-2), I was upset and appalled.
It was not about Bali per se, as I have many fond memories of
holidays to Bali. It was the reference to the roosters - "the
roadsides are lined with upside-down woven baskets covering
roosters, ready for a bout of cockfighting" - and the image that
I found extremely inappropriate. The way this cruel activity is
presented in your article conveyed the message that cockfighting
is acceptable, but cockfighting is illegal in Australia because
it is the epitome of animal cruelty for the pleasure and profit
of humans.  Sometimes people strap on spurs on the legs of the
roosters to inflict more pain when they are desperately fighting
for their lives. After a bout of cockfighting, these poor
creatures are left for dead.  - Catherine Beer  Editor's note:
The reference to cockfighting in Belinda Jackson's story (Home
of the island