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Death Of A Blood Sport : Code Switch Later this month, a Congressional ban will make cockfighting illegal in U.S. territories. Animal rights activists argue that the sport is cruel and inhumane. But in Puerto Rico, many people plan to defy the ban. They say cockfighting has been ingrained in the culture for centuries, and that the ban is an attempt to wipe out an integral part of Puerto Rican identity.

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Death Of A Blood Sport

Death Of A Blood Sport

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A cockfight at one of the oldest cockfighting arenas in Puerto Rico, the Gallera Borinquén in the municipality of Arecibo. Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR hide caption

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Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR

A cockfight at one of the oldest cockfighting arenas in Puerto Rico, the Gallera Borinquén in the municipality of Arecibo.

Erika P. Rodríguez for NPR

Later this month, a Congressional ban will make cockfighting illegal in U.S. territories. Animal rights activists argue that the sport is cruel and inhumane. But in Puerto Rico, many people plan to defy the ban. They say cockfighting has been ingrained in the culture for centuries, and that the ban is a attempt to wipe out an integral part of Puerto Rican identity.

You can read more of our reporting on the cockfighting ban here.