Animal welfare activists question the industry’s true economic impact. Three minutes later, with Blue down and bleeding, Red was declared the winner. “They think this is a savage place, full of prostitutes and thieves,” Mr. Román said. The cockfighting world is made up mainly of men. “Most people hate this so-called sport,” said Mr. Martínez, 57, who said that, as a boy, he tried to set free some of his grandfather’s gamecocks. The feathers around their necks flared. We hope we can win this. The men who own most of the birds and pay the Figueroas for their care bought fewer chicks this year, knowing they would not need them for long. Wanda Vazquez signs a bill into law that keeps cockfighting alive on the island despite a federal ban. Gambling will also make sports leagues much more money. To build a bird’s endurance, Hiram Figueroa chased it with a broomstick with plastic strips attached to one end, resembling a large duster. When a gamecock whose fight ended in a draw came in too badly injured, Mr. Rodríguez broke its neck. And he notes that his birds live in larger cages than those raised as poultry. Though there has been no independent polling, the Humane Society of the United States, which lobbied Congress for the ban, commissioned a survey of 1,000 Puerto Ricans in 2017 that found that 43 percent backed the ban and 21 percent opposed it. Now rows of dusty cages lie empty in Mr. Figueroa’s backyard, a reminder of his fading livelihood. A rooster raised for fighting on Hiram Figueroa’s farm in Vega Baja, P.R. "We will have to wait and see how the federal government reacts," he said. She acknowledged the matter may ultimately be settled in court. What is your opinion on Malala’s message about the power of education? A recession has strangled the Puerto Rican economy for 13 years. Gov. Anxiety has gripped Mr. Figueroa and others who make a living from cockfighting. Mounting spurs on fighting roosters in Puerto Rico - YouTube By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. ", "It's pure showmanship," he said of the law signed this week. José Figueroa poked at a bird with a rooster-shaped stuffed animal to get the bird to run from left to right in short bursts, simulating a fight. Listen to learn more about the Supreme Court’s ruling on this issue and what legalizing sports betting may mean for American athletics. Some owners have started to move their birds to the Dominican Republic, where cockfighting remains legal, as it is in a few other places in Latin America. “It has nothing to do with our culture,” Ms. Álvarez said. On a recent evening, a small crowd gathered at the cockpit in the town of Hatillo. The U.S. Supreme Court recently decided that states can decide for themselves whether or not to make sports betting legal. "The politicians are encouraging illegal behavior and they're putting those people at risk with the false hope that their legislative maneuver has any legal effect. Listen to the story to hear both sides of the issue, and then debate: Should rooster fighting be legal in Puerto Rico? What is the message that Malala is trying to send to those in power? A fight in Hatillo, P.R. Then, Blue attacked. Activists say that is an indication of diminishing interest. Red fell. Félix M. Román Carrasquillo, a lawyer for those in the cockfighting industry, said the ban suggested that members of the federal government viewed Puerto Rico as an inferior, regressive colony unable to fend for itself.