Lawmakers in the House are resisting an effort to have Louisiana declare that "fox pen hunting" is part of the state's folklife heritage and should be preserved.
Rep. Sherman Mack
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Lawmakers in the House are resisting an effort to have Louisiana declare that "fox pen hunting" is part of the state's folklife heritage and should be preserved.
The sport involves fenced-in preserves where hunting dogs are trained to pursue foxes.
Rep. Sherman Mack, a Republican from Livingston, says the sport is part of Louisiana's culture.
Opponents of the proposal Monday called it a "blood sport" in which a fox is run down by 20 or 30 dogs that attack it until it dies.
Mack says in Louisiana the foxes are chased up a tree and aren't killed.
The House voted to include language by Lafayette Rep. Nancy Landry, a Republican, requiring approval by the Louisiana Folklife Commission before the designation is granted. After that, Mack pulled the bill from debate.