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The animal rights organization Bienestar Animal Cuba, in its Havana chapter (BAC-Habana), denounced this Monday the continuation of cockfighting in Cuba, a practice that, far from being clandestine, is supported by state entities and overlooked by the authorities.
In the denunciation post made on Facebook, the group stated that “a country that normalizes pain cannot be called humane,” referring to the institutionalized violence represented by these spectacles.
The complaint arose following reports from the municipality of Encrucijada in Villa Clara, where residents claim that cockfighting is multiplying uncontrollably and without punishment.
According to BAC-Habana, fights are not only tolerated but also endorsed by the state-owned company ALCONA S.A., which belongs to the Flora and Fauna Business Group, an organization that has been linked to one of the historical figures at the top of the Cuban regime, Commander Guillermo García Frías.
From the Alcona farm, located on the outskirts of Havana, fine roosters are raised, fighting events are organized, and specimens are exported abroad, all under a legal facade that – according to the organization – constitutes "a mockery of animal welfare."
The text reminds us that, although Decree-Law 31/2021 on Animal Welfare is in effect, cockfighting was not included as a prohibited practice.
On the contrary, the regulations mention veterinary inspections "during cockfighting," which activists argue legitimizes cruelty rather than condemning it.
"This horror has been attempted to be justified as part of the Cuban cultural identity, as if blood and pain could symbolize Cubaness," the statement notes.
BAC-Habana emphasized that behind every fight “there are animals that suffer, that die from deep wounds, that are forced to fight until exhaustion while the applause seeks to drown out the cries of pain.”
The organization described it as shameful that the regime continues to host such spectacles in the 21st century and called for an immediate review of the law.
"Rooster fights are animal abuse, just like dog fights or any spectacle where the life of a living being is used for entertainment. There is no tradition that justifies suffering," the message concluded.
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