New law tears at island’s culture of cockfighting
May 29th, 2007A tradition for 300 years, the sport faces a federal crackdown, and some are up in arms.
Jeannette Rivera-Lyles Sentinel Staff Writer
May 29, 2007 GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico — The crowd is feisty, an air of anticipation building by the minute as the two fighters prepare to rip into each other.
Soon, cash will be passing hands furiously as men of all ages crowd around the ring.
But this isn’t the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, and this match is not between two bruising human beings.
This is a cockfight, outlawed and reviled in most of the U.S. but considered the “sport of gentlemen” in Puerto Rico. The Club Gallistico of San Juan is one of 104 fighting arenas where thousands of fans come to place bets and watch bouts that often leave the birds dead or maimed.
If the cars outside — Mercedes and Lexus models along with Toyotas and Hyundais — are a reflection of the clientele, then this is a very diverse crowd enjoying a very popular sport.
With 300 years of history on the island, cockfighting is as ingrained in Puerto Rican society as the morning ritual of cafe con leche.
It is no wonder, then, that cockfighting fans on the island see as an insult a recently signed federal law that considers the sport a vice. The law makes the interstate transport of the birds and any paraphernalia associated with the fights a felony punishable by up to three years in jail and $250,000 in fines.
It also bans the export and import of these things to and from foreign countries.
The law, though not aimed at the U.S. commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is creating problems for the cockfighting industry that generates $800 million a year here, according to government estimates.
The plastic spurs the roosters wear to slash one another are imported from the mainland. And hundreds of breeders make a significant portion of their income exporting birds to other Caribbean islands and Latin America.
“The impact on the economy will be serious initially,” said Jose Garcia, a pharmacist and president of the Club Gallistico of San Juan. “But what is worse is that it would force some aspects of the sport into the clandestine. People will find ways around it.”
In an act of defiance, Puerto Rico’s Department of Recreation and Sports, which regulates the island’s 104 so-called cockpits and more than 600 breeders, is guaranteeing low-cost loans to promote the local manufacture of spurs.
“History has demonstrated that prohibitions that trample cultural traditions do not work,” said William Martinez, one of the department’s officials who oversee the industry.
Bets, and a bout
The Coliseo Gallistico of Isla Verde, a cockpit in one of San Juan’s tourist zones, is a popular spot with fans from all over the world.
One recent night, a group of friends from Miami shared drinks and front-row seats. For years, the men have been coming to San Juan every two months or so to feed their passion for a sport that is illegal at home.
Among them is Jorge Castellon, the owner of a successful South Florida insurance agency.
“To me, this place is a cultural center,” said Castellon, a native of Cuba. “This is one of the oldest sports in the world. When we are in here, there are no social classes. We’re all sportsmen.”
Cockfighting is often referred to as the sport of gentlemen, an allusion to how the betting is done: a few words, a nod of agreement and a handshake to seal it.
From across the circular arena, a man with a Dominican accent shouts a bet to Castellon as a fight begins. It is hard to hear because players all around the 600-seat stadium are doing the same thing. Different accents and languages fill the room as the excitement of the betting grows.
But Castellon and the other man, both obviously experts at this, have no problem communicating. After a few shouts back and forth, they agree on a sum with a nod and their eyes focus back on the ring.
Five minutes into the 10-minute fight, one of the birds starts to flee, leaving behind a trail of blood. Every time its opponent goes on the attack, the injured bird flaps its wings and hops back.
The match is called off. Castellon has won his bet.
Immediately, the other man approaches Castellon, cash in hand. The two shake hands. Castellon slips a few $20 bills into his pocket without looking at them.
“This is a gentlemen’s agreement,” Castellon said.
Detractors call it cruel
Louisiana is the only U.S. jurisdiction other than Puerto Rico where cockfighting is legal. It is, however, practiced illegally in many other states.
Opponents of the fights argue that it is cruel and fosters other illegal activities such as drugs and money laundering.
The sponsor of the new law, U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., adds health and safety issues to the list of ills.
“Congressman Bartlett is a farmer,” said Lisa Wright, Bartlett’s spokeswoman. “He believes the animal-fighting industry is cruel and that it poses a threat to public health and safety.”
The bill, Wright said, sailed through Congress and was supported by more than 500 organizations.
But most of the arguments leveled by the sport’s detractors miss several important points with regard to Puerto Rico, counters Carlos Quinones, who oversees the cockfighting industry for the government.
“This is not the clandestine, unregulated industry that exists in most states,” Quinones said.
Under his department’s rules, all birds have to receive vaccines against a battery of diseases throughout their life span. Inspectors regularly conduct surprise visits to cockpits and breeding farms to check for proper documentation of the shots and for sanitary conditions in the pens. Violators are fined, and their licenses can be revoked.
“We regulate how that’s done, we monitor it, and in the process we create an $800 million industry and 50,000 jobs,” he said.
The issue of cruelty, Quinones said, borders on the hypocritical.
“Is it more cruel than shooting a deer for a trophy?” he said. “Is it more cruel than whipping a horse [in a race]?'’
Jeannette Rivera-Lyles can be reached at jrivera@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5471.
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