Deaths Spur Pit Bull Ban in Capital of Honduras
Bangor Daily News, December 21, 2001.

Deaths Spur Pit Bull Ban in Capital of Honduras
Tegucigalpa, Honduras (2001) – Pit bulls will be banned in the Honduran capital and owners required to get rid of them by early next month, city officials said Thursday.
Mayor Vilma de Castellanos said those who refuse to give up their pet pit bulls by Jan, 3 will be fined $3,300. Dogs found after that date “Will be pursued and sacrificed by the city,” she said.
“It is essential to control these dogs, which have caused such damage, pain and sorrow among the residents of the capital,” she said.
The decision covers 100 villages around Tegucigalpa as well as the urban sprawl around the city of 2 million people.
The federal prosecutor’s office called on the country’s 297 townships to emulate Tegucigalpa’s decree or impose tighter controls on pit bulls.
The measure follows a public outcry over a pit bull attack that killed the animal’s elderly owner and injured his wife and two grandchildren Dec. 4.
Officials say pit bulls have killed at least 10 people over the past two years in Honduras.

By 1999, dogfighting had taken root in the capital. Human fatalities naturally ensued.

Dog Fighting On The Rise Among Poor Of Honduras
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (1999) – Teeth bared, the pit bulls strain at each other so hard they pull themselves upright on their leashes. At a signal, their owners let go and the dogs throw themselves at one another.
The veteran, Dino, has a 10-0 record. Argus has never fought before, but he surprises the crowd on the wooden bleachers as he sinks his teeth into Dino’s lips and neck.
After 15 minutes, Dino is slumped on the floor with Argus standing over him, both covered with deep puncture wounds, both too exhausted to continue. The referee declares a draw…