Rhino Beetle Fighting

It is part of the culture in Japan and many southeastern Asian countries to hold fighting competitions between male rhinoceros beetles. I’ve lived in Thailand for the last four years and although the practice is not common in the city I live in, I have heard and read stories about beetle fighting in provincial areas of the country.

Some people in this part of the world keep adult male rhino beetles as pets and induce fighting between the two rivals as a form of sport. A fighting beetle is commonly kept tethered to a cane stick (which it feeds upon) to keep it from escaping. The beetle is trained and strengthened by its owner in order to increase its fighting ability.

Wagers are often placed on the battles with winners taking all. To me, it is reminiscent of the underground cockfighting that was/is part of the culture in the southern United States. But rhino beetle fighting is not illegal or culturally frowned upon here, like cockfighting is in America.

There are vendors on the streets of Bangkok who sell the beetles, ready for combat. Usually there are two beetles tethered to a stick, and they are sold for about 50 baht, which is between one and two dollars depending on the exchange rate.

In order to induce fighting, a noisemaker may be used to simulate the sound of a female rhino beetle mating call. Sometimes a female beetle will be placed into the ring with the two males. It is natural behavior for adult male rhino beetles to fight each other for the opportunity to mate.

If two males are placed on the same stick and urge to fight, the loser will be the one knocked off the stick and the winner the one who is still standing, so to speak. I haven’t personally had the opportunity to attend one of these beetle fights, but they do sound quite interesting.