The Sun Sets on Cockfighting at the Sunset Recreation Club

©The HSUS

All across Louisiana, large-scale cockfighting pits have shut down for good.

The Sunset Recreation Club, the largest—and considered by cockfighters the most "prestigious"—cockfighting venue in the United States, has closed its doors for good. The nearly 70-year-old pit, which once hosted seven large-scale derbies a year, called it quits thanks to three devastating legislative blows this year.

The beginning of the end for the Sunset and other large cockfighting pits began in March 2007 with the passage of the federal Animal Fighting Enforcement Prohibition Act, making the interstate transport of fighting animals a felony offense. Reliant on out-of-state participants, Sunset could hardly turn a profit without them. It suspended its operations, despite cockfighting remaining legal in Louisiana.

When the Louisiana legislature passed two bills aimed at cockfighting in June 2007, Sunset no doubt knew that suspension would become permanent. Although a complete legislative ban on cockfighting does not go into effect in Louisiana until August 2008, a ban on gambling at cockfighting pits, which took effect on Aug. 15, 2007, has effectively shut down the industry.

The Collapse of Cockfighting

Removing gambling—a mainstay of the practice—knocks out much of its "appeal." For Sunset, a ban on gambling at cockfights means that it can no longer profit from the bloody deaths of birds. It made its closure official one month after the gambling ban was signed into law.

The Sunset's demise reflects the meltdown of the cockfighting industry, which is a result of the good work of The HSUS and its members nationwide. Countless thousands of animal protection advocates let their legislators know that animal fighting is intolerable in a civilized society.

"Once described as the capitol of cockfighting, Sunset now symbolizes the collapse of an extremely cruel and immoral industry," said John Goodwin, manager of animal fighting issues for The HSUS.

Sights Set on Alabama, Kentucky Others

With the continued support of animal advocates, The HSUS now turns its attention toward shutting down the remaining cockfighting pits in states where weak cockfighting laws allow the bloody activity to persist.

In Alabama, for example, the maximum $50 penalty for cockfighting has led to more cockfighting pits per capita than in any other state. A similar situation exists in Virginia and Kentucky, where the weak misdemeanor penalties make it easy for law enforcement officials and judges to look the other way where cockfighting crimes are concerned.

As the sun sets on the Sunset, cockfighters elsewhere should take it as their cue to get out of their bloody business. The growing public sentiment against animal fighters makes it all but certain that legislators and lawmakers everywhere will take a harder line against animal fighting crimes.

What You Can Do

Tell the largest online retailer of cockfighting magazines in the United States, Amazon.com, to stop supporting this dying industry, and tell your friends and family to contact them as well.

Ariana Huemer is cruelty caseworker for The Humane Society of the United States.

See the Video

HSUS Undercover: Inside Animal Fighting

Related Links

Cockfighting Fact Sheet

State Cockfighting Laws

Cockfighting KOed in Louisiana