Animal rights activists are cheering a decision by South Korea's Korean Air to no longer allow the transport of roosters from the United States to the Philippines, where cockfighting is a major, multi-million-dollar industry. Two roosters, armed with metal spurs, fight to the death in clashes that can last less than a minute - and the United States is a major source of the birds used.
Korean Air says in a statement that it wants to see "legal and safe transportation of live animals in accordance with applicable laws."
According to an American animal rights organization, Korean Air is the largest global airline for transporting illegally traded fighting birds.
