A Louisiana parish should try to secure an exemption to the state’s ban on cockfighting and bring back the brutal blood sport, according to a councilman.
Cockfighting is a sport in which selectively bred and trained roosters fight each other and it is illegal nationwide. Louisiana was the last state to ban it in 2008.
Now, St. Landry Parish council member Timmy LeJeune is looking to learn more about how officials could create an exemption to the ban in the town, which is about 60 miles west of Baton Rouge, The Acadiana Advocate reports.
The move comes after some residents advocated for the move at a December parish council meeting.
LeJeune scheduled a meeting of the council’s administrative and finance committee earlier this month to explore options for creating an exemption to the law, according to The Acadiana Advocate.
“All I’m asking is to get this before the full council so we can do research and get some real answers,” he said at the meeting. “What I understand is that a parish can go to the state and get an exemption for a permit.”
“If we find a way to make that happen, St. Landry could become a worldwide hub for rooster fighting, and that brings in a lot of money. It multiplies. This is all about trying to find revenue for the parish,” he added.
Garrett Duplechain, the parish’s legal counsel, pointed out that cockfighting is a felony, according to The Acadiana Advocate.
“You can’t get a permit to commit a felony, which is what cockfighting is currently,” he said. “That’s my unbiased analysis of it.”
The council will return to the topic again at a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, The Acadiana Advocate reports. The Independent has contacted LeJeune for comment.
Cockfighting is a tradition that has been passed down through generations in the state, particularly among Creole and Cajun communities, according to The Acadiana Advocate. Before the ban, some cockfights in Louisiana could draw hundreds of spectators, the outlet reports.
Some have argued that bans on cockfighting constitute government overreach, while animal advocates have argued that it should remain illegal.
Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action, an advocacy group that seeks to end animal cruelty, said in a statement last week that discussions around re-legalizing cockfighting are “ridiculous.”
“Cockfighting is a felony, period. Lawmakers, in overwhelming fashion, made it so 18 years ago. So many leading Louisianians were embarrassed that the state was the last in the nation to forbid this activity,” Pacelle said.
Jeff Dorson, executive director of the Humane Society of Louisiana, told local outlet KPLC in 2024 that cockfighting is still prevalent throughout the state.
“Cockfighting has been a part of our culture in Louisiana, especially the Cajun area for a long, long time. There is a lot of pride associated with it,” Dorson said.
