Cockfighting ban fails to win support

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- A legislative committee Wednesday night killed a bill that would have banned cockfighting. Louisiana and New Mexico are the only two states in the nation that allow the activity.
The issue is a perennial one, and has been defeated each year it's come up.
The state House Agriculture Committee, in a 9-5 vote, sided with those who argued that cockfighting is part of rural Cajun heritage and generates economic development.
"This is a rural sport with widespread support and deep roots in the communities," said Emmanuel Massa, president of the Louisiana Gamefowl Breeders Association.
Democratic Rep. Karen Carter, the bill's author, said birds are pumped full of stimulants and put in a pit with knives strapped to their legs "to hack one another to death" for amusement and gambling.
"I believe it's cruel, I believe it's barbaric and I believe we should follow the lead of 48 other states," Carter said.
Three Republicans and two Democrats voted in favor of the bill, with nine Democrats voting against it.
Jay Sabatucci, with the Humane Society of the United States, said neighboring states banned cockfighting more than 100 years ago. He pointed to a humane society poll conducted in March that showed 82 percent of 503 Louisiana respondents favored the ban -- 71 percent "strongly."
Agriculture Commissioner Bob Odom said keeping cockfighting legal would maintain some control over the industry and stop the spread of deadly bird diseases.
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