Louisiana Finally Quits Cockfights, Last State To Ban It

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Gory and bucolic all at once, cockfights have drawn crowds to small-time pits and full-blown arenas in towns around Louisiana for generations. By the end of the week, they'll be against the law everywhere.

On Friday, Louisiana will become the last state to outlaw the rooster fights, a move that cockfighting enthusiasts say marks the

end of a rich rural tradition.

Chris Daughdrill, who breeds fighting roosters in Loranger, says it's another one of the rights that big government has taken away from the people.

Maybe so, but supporters and opponents agree that the blood sport won't be wiped out entirely. Like bootlegging, cockfights will continue on the sly in remote areas, and getting caught could mean fines or even prison.

Billy Duplechein, who raised fighting roosters as a boy and never stopped attending the fights, said the new law will criminalize a rich, generations-old Cajun tradition.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)