Oklahoma’s push to weaken penalties for cockfighting is frustrating opponents of the bloodsport

WILSON, Okla. (AP) — Before Oklahoma became one of the last places in the U.S. to outlaw cockfighting in 2002, it wasn’t uncommon to see hundreds of spectators packed into small arenas in rural parts of the state to watch roosters, often outfitted with razor-sharp steel blades, fight until a bloody death.

More than 20 years after the ban took effect, some worry Oklahoma is starting to waver.

A proposal to weaken cockfighting penalties cleared the Oklahoma House. A political action committee is raising money to support farmers who raise game fowl. And in a video since pulled from YouTube, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt recorded a message supporting the group known as the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission, saying he would “cheer you on from the sidelines.”

“They’ve tried to make an official sounding name,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action, which two decades ago worked to turn out Oklahoma voters and outlaw the activity. “But they’re just a bunch of cockfighters.”

He said before the ban, rural Oklahoma counties were peppered with cockfighting arenas set up in large barns with stadium-style seating, overhead lights and even concession stands. Events attracted hundreds of spectators, even children and families. After a major event, it wasn’t uncommon to see the property littered with dead bird carcasses after fights to the death.

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