In the Philippines, the 6,000-year­-old sport of cockfighting has been transformed into a fully ­legal billion-dollar industry. Known locally as sabong, it takes place in 2,500 dedicated stadiums across the country and kills an estimated 30 million roosters a year.

A few months back, VICE Australia hit the cockpits and hatcheries of Manila. There we met the breeders, trainers, and philosophers who help make sabong one of the Philippines’ national obsessions.