Puerto Rico will keep fighting to keep cockfighting going despite a federal ban on the practice set to go into effect this week.
Those in the industry, which employs an estimated 27,000 people, cheered news that the United States territory was attempting to override a federal law that President Trump signed into law last year, according to the Associated Press. In Puerto Rico, the sport is a 400-year cultural tradition.
Puerto Rican House Rep. Gabriel Rodriguez Aguilo, co-author of the bill fighting the federal ban, said he is aware of the difficulties ahead.
“We are certainly challenging a federal law. We know what that implies,” he said, noting that Gov. Wanda Vazquez is expected to sign the bill on Wednesday. The move will likely end with a federal court battle.
“There’s going to be work!” said Domingo Ruiz, who owns more than two dozen roosters and has been in the industry for decades. “We’re going to keep the fight alive.”
In addition to the thousands of Puerto Ricans the tradition employs, cockfighting generates about $18 million a year. The island has 71 licensed cockfighting establishments that cater to fans of the activity.
“Their instinct is to fight,” said Adriana Sanchez, secretary of Puerto Rico’s Department of Sports and Recreation. “The people who dedicate themselves care for them and train them.”
Wayne Pacelle, founder of Animal Wellness Action, downplayed the economic impact of the practice in Puerto Rico.
“They are widely exaggerating the economic value,” Pacelle said. “Watching animals slash each other just for human entertainment and gambling is not judged as a legitimate enterprise by mainstream people.”
