Center for a Humane Economy Blasts Brazen Attempt to Re-Legalize Felony Cockfighting in St. Landry Parish

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy are condemning in the strongest possible terms a brazen effort by cockfighting advocates to resurrect an illegal blood sport in Louisiana – in this case by appealing to the St. Landry Parish council members to kick-start the process. Cockfighting is a felony offense after state lawmakers finally made the state the 50th to outlaw this barbaric practice so closely tied to illegal gambling, money laundering, narcotics trafficking, and other forms of social violence.

At a recent St. Landry Parish Council committee meeting, cockfighting enthusiaster James Demourelle urged council members to seek a legal opinion from the Louisiana Attorney General questioning whether bans on cockfighting violate individual rights. Demourelle was backed by a contingent of cockfighting supporters and openly acknowledged that he has already rented a public facility in Opelousas as a potential cockfighting venue.

“The discussion about legalizing cockfighting is ridiculous,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action. “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.  It would compound the injury to give the ridiculous idea of legalizing it any oxygen.”

Louisiana passed a statewide cockfighting ban in 2007 and it took effect in 2008.  Congress made it a federal felony also in 2007 and then outlawed cockfighting in the U.S. territories in in 2019. The law prohibits not only the fights themselves, but also possession of fighting birds and cockfighting implements.

Demourelle reportedly argued that fighting roosters should be considered property that can be used at the owner’s discretion and invoked St. Landry Parish’s lamentable historical role as a former cockfighting hub as justification for renewed action. State and federal courts have repeatedly and unanimously affirmed the authority of the states and the federal to forbid cockfighting and associated activities, including possession of fighting animals.

““We don’t entertain screwball ideas to restore legal dogfighting, bear baiting, or cockfights on the whims of criminals who want to keep making money on these forms of animal abuse. St. Landry Parish officials should dismiss these entreaties.

Beyond cruelty, cockfighting presents serious public safety and biosecurity risks. Fighting birds are routinely transported across state lines, kept in unsanitary conditions, and exposed to blood-to-blood contact – conditions that accelerate the spread of avian influenza and other deadly poultry diseases.

“At a time when avian flu has already devastated poultry operations and wildlife across the country, any effort to revive cockfighting is not just cruel – it is dangerously irresponsible,” Pacelle said. “This is how diseases spread, livelihoods are destroyed, and taxpayers end up footing the bill.”

Animal Wellness Action also expressed alarm that a sitting parish council member asked about potential revenue from cockfighting during the meeting. “There is no amount of money that justifies felony animal cruelty,” Pacelle said. “Local officials should be focused on enforcing the law – not entertaining fantasies about blood-soaked tourism.”

Animal Wellness Action urges all parish officials to issue a clear public rejection of cockfighting and to cooperate fully with state and federal authorities should any illegal activity occur.

“We are putting everyone on notice,” Pacelle said. “If anyone in St. Landry Parish attempts to organize cockfights, license facilities, or look the other way, Animal Wellness Action, the Center for a Humane Economy and SHARK (Showing Animals Respect and Kindness ) will make sure law enforcement, prosecutors, and the public know exactly who enabled it.”

Animal Wellness Action will continue monitoring developments in St. Landry Parish and stands ready to work with authorities to ensure that cockfighting remains illegal – and aggressively enforced – throughout Louisiana.

Animal Wellness Action also urges Congress to pass the bipartisan FIGHT Act (H.R. 3946/S. 1454) to bolster enforcement tools, including bans on shipping fighting birds through the mail, outlawing simulcast gambling on cockfights, and enhancing forfeiture provisions for property used in these criminal enterprises. U.S. Senator John Kennedy, R-La introduced the FIGHT Act. U.S. Representative Troy Carter, D-La. has co-sponsored it in the House. More than 1,000 agencies and law enforcement organizations across the nation have endorsed the FIGHT Act, as have 126 members of Congress and 11 U.S. senators from both sides of the aisle.