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WP: Dying Days of Cockfighting In America

Photograph Carol Guzy/The Washington Post-All Rights Reserved
The Washington Post published a very well-crafted multimedia feature titled Dying Days of Cockfighting In America, with striking photographs by the veteran photographer Carol Guzy. I thought that not only is the feature well-crafted (despite its less than appealing subject matter), but it has palpable atmospherics to it. As a viewer of this feature, I felt transported to Louisiana among the cockfighters, to their homes and their clubs...that's the beauty of this well-crafted multimedia slideshow...very well done indeed.

The multimedia slideshow consists of three parts, and delves in the lives of cockfighters near Baton Rouge in Louisiana. These are the last days of legal cockfighting in Louisiana, and the cockfighters argue that the new law will drive cockfighting underground, like dogfighting rings.

One of the cockfighters, Clarence "Wooly" Bunch, says "I'm a God-fearing man....but this is what a rooster is made for...Dogs are your friend...Not to say I don't like my chickens, but they are not my friend".

Louisiana is the last state to outlaw cockfighting. In 33 states and the District of Columbia, it is a felony. Animal advocacy organizations applaud the closing of the final legal venue in the United States for a blood sport they view as cruel and barbaric.