In the days before smartphones and video games, people devised creative ways to pass the time.
They were engrossed in blood sports.
Fox crushing
The name of the sport says it all.
In later generations, perhaps because the novelty had worn off, competitors sometimes wore costumes.
Two people wait, each holding one end of a rope. The moment an animal is released from its cage and passes over the rope, they pull the rope with all their might, sending the animal flying high into the air. The competition is to see who can send the animal the highest.
Besides foxes, rabbits, wild boars, muss rats, and wildcats are also used.
The animals that fall may attack the competitors, but they are usually severely injured and all die.
There is virtually no chance of survival.
It seems that this isn't the only blood sport enjoyed in leisure time. Goose pulling...
It's a common form of entertainment, and its content is exactly as the name suggests.
A goose is hung upside down from a large wooden frame resembling a doorway. A competitor on horseback charges at full speed and tears off the oiled goose's head with their bare hands.
It's actually still a popular sport today, but nowadays they use dead geese.
People from all walks of life have been captivated by this bizarre blood sport.
Rat bullying
A large animal (often a dog) is released into an enclosure containing rats. Spectators bet on how long it will take for the rats to be torn to pieces.
Blood sports themselves are quite familiar to modern people and are not particularly shocking. Bullfighting, cockfighting, dogfighting, octopus wrestling, and fox hunting are well-known examples.
The examples cited in this article are shocking because they involve actively harming harmless animals.
They torture animals without mercy—and laugh gleefully.
"That was so much fun the other day, Mary. You should try it too!"
"Oh, what are you talking about?"
"It's obviously to kill the fox!"
"Yes, let's take the kids with us!"
This conversation might have taken place!
In this day and age, animal cruelty leads to jail time. It's not like wealthy Americans in disguise are killing foxes.