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Congress moves to ban cockfighting in US territories

Congress has given final passage to legislation that would shut down legal cockfights in U.S. territories including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, ending an institution dating from the colonial era that generates millions of dollars each year

FILE - In this July 6 2012 file photo, owner of a loosing rooster pays his bet as the cockfight judge removes sharp plastic spurs from the defeated bird at Las Palmas, a government-sponsored cockfighting club in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Legislators approved a bill Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018, shutting down legal cockfights in U.S. territories including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, ending what many consider a cultural institution that generates millions of dollars and dates back to the colonial era.  (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo, File)
FILE - In this July 6 2012 file photo, owner of a loosing rooster pays his bet as the cockfight judge removes sharp plastic spurs from the defeated bird at Las Palmas, a government-sponsored cockfighting club in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Legislators approved a bill Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018, shutting down legal cockfights in U.S. territories including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, ending what many consider a cultural institution that generates millions of dollars and dates back to the colonial era. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo, File)Read moreRicardo Arduengo / AP

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Congress has given final passage to legislation that would shut down legal cockfights in U.S. territories including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, ending an institution dating from the colonial era that generates millions of dollars each year.

Opponents of the measure approved Wednesday by the House say it will have a devastating effect on the islands' economies, noting that in Puerto Rico alone the cockfighting industry generates some $18 million a year and employs more than 20,000 people.

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello traveled to Washington to demand that the island be excluded, but he arrived too late. Legislators unexpectedly moved up the vote and approved the bill, which already passed the Senate.

Supporters of the measure say it is long overdue and will help protect animals.