Cockfighting Illegal in Louisiana

Cockfighting is now illegal in Louisiana, making it the last state to ban the controversial competition. Fans of the sport will now have to journey to distant locations like Mexico, or they’ll be forced to seek out the underground arenas which are sure to spring up.

END OF A TRADITION?

Opponents of the ban argue that it is destroying the culture of Louisiana. According to Chris Daughdrill, a breeder of fighting roosters, “The culture, the custom of the Cajun people, it’s gone. It’s another one of the rights that big government has taken away from the people.”

But most agree that while it is now illegal in the state, cockfighting won’t disappear for good. “They’ve still got cockfighting in every state, “ said Elizabeth Barras, the former owner of a cockfighting facility, “They just hide it from the law.”

BAN ON COCKFIGHTING

The ban on cockfighting comes after pressure from groups such as the Humane Society. After Hurricane Katrina, many officials also began trying to reverse the image of Louisiana citizens being poor and backwards.

While it continues to be legal in places like Puerto Rico, Guam and America Samoa, it is now illegal in all 50 U.S. states. Offenders caught for the first time will face a maximum of $1,000 in fines and six months in jail. And transporting animals across state lines for the purposes of fighting has been upgraded from a misdemeanor to a felony.

But many cockfighting pits were already closed, thanks to a law passed last year which made it illegal to bet on the activity.

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Cockfighting Illegal in Louisiana