Dog fighting ban

Inspectors from the National Animal Health Service are struggling to manage more than 400 neglected dogs discovered during farm inspections following last week's phreatic eruptions at the Turrialba Volcano, northeast of San José.

More than 1,200 people were attending an illegal cockfight on Saturday when police raided it on a farm in Barrio Mercedes de Atenas, 40 kilometers west of Costa Rica's capital.

On Sept. 7, cowboys from across the Americas and as far away as New Zealand will flock to Costa Rica's National Stadium for the country's first-ever American-style rodeo event. Competitors will test their skills in calf roping and cattle herding and try their luck riding on the backs of Costa Rica's most fearsome bulls.

With it's publication in the official government newspaper La Gaceta, Costa Rica's dog-fighting ban went into effect last week. The new law clarifies dog fighting as a criminal offense and imposes stricter penalties on those caught organizing fighting rings.

After coming from behind the pack in a first round of elections, President Luis Guillermo Solís ran practically unopposed in an April runoff. From the information gleaned from his detailed platform and public comments, here are a few things we can likely expect (and not) from the Solís administration.

Under the current laws, dog fight organizers usually have their dogs confiscated if caught, but recieve no other punishment.

A criminal court in the canton of Desamparados, south of San José, last week ordered a man whose identity was not disclosed to pay ₡105,000 ($200) for organizing dogfights on his property. Yes, a whopping $200. But he also signed a paper promising not to do it again.

If approved the bill would allot prison sentences of up to three years for those convicted of injuring or causing a dog's death.