SANTA FE, N.M., March 13 (UPI) -- New Mexico is about to become the 49th state to ban cockfighting, leaving Louisiana as the only place in the United States where it is legal.
Gov. Bill Richardson signed the ban Monday, the Albuquerque Journal reported. The law takes effect June 15.
Getting a law passed took almost two decades. Cockfighting enthusiasts argued that the sport is a tradition in New Mexico and an important part of its culture and also claimed that Richardson promised during his 2002 campaign to oppose a ban, a promise he says he did not make.
"I never dreamed in my life that I would be the one to ban cockfighting," said state Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, a Democrat who sponsored the bill.
Actress Ali Magraw, a part-time Santa Fe resident and long-time animal rights activist, lent some Hollywood glamour to the bill-signing.
