14 DAY TRIAL // There is only one state left in US where cockfightings are still legal: Louisiana. In June 28, the legislative session will decide if this remains legal or not.
State lawmakers are trying to outlaw cockfighting in the state's licensed venues and there are dozens of them.
Cockfighting "is very bad for our image, and it's cruel to the animals," said state Senator Art Lentini, who introduced two bills: one for an immediate ban and the other asking cockfighters until the end of the year to close operations and get rid of their roosters.
The practice was outlawed in Oklahoma in 2002 and in New Mexico in March 2007.
"In the post-Katrina environment Louisiana desperately needs federal funding, and the controversial bloodsport could taint negotiations. Even pro-cockfighting politicians understand that the centuries-old practice must end," Lentini said.
"We do not need to be the only state to allow [cockfighting] while we are in Washington [D.C.] asking people to send millions of dollars for our levy and coastal protection," he said.
New Mexico's ban has induced discontent amongst some.
"This is a ban on a very small ethnic group's right to legally practice a celebration that was handed down by beloved ancestors for many generations," wrote Charles VanHoozen of the New Mexico Gamefowl Breeders Association.
Supporters of the practice claim cockfighting send billions of dollars into the national economy and thousands of families live on that.
Cockfighting still thrives in some rural areas, but recent police raids have shut down operations in Arkansas, California, Colorado, and North Carolina.
Cockfightings involve gambling with thousands of dollars but also drugs are traded at some events. The cocks belong to special breeds, named gamecocks. Razor-sharp steel blades (gaffs), 3 inch (7.5 cm) long, are attached to their legs. The birds fight to death and this takes from several minutes to half an hour.
These birds "have been bred for many, many generations to have this artificial level of aggression against others of their own species." said John Goodwin, deputy manager of animal-fighting issues for the Humane Society of the United States.
The results of the fights are punctured lungs, broken bones, and pierced eyes. In New Mexico, under the new law, a first-time low break is treated as a minor felony, and punished only with a small fine.
"In states where it's treated as a misdemeanor-because the gambling profit can outweigh any potential fines-the law doesn't get the same respect. In the 33 states where felony provisions are in place, however, there has been a dramatic decline in the activity," said Goodwin.
"I think the days of organized cockfighting in the United States are numbered," he added.