Wayne Pacelle: Rusk County Raid Exposes “Bloody, Lawless Underworld” of Cockfighting
RUSK COUNTY, TEXAS — Animal Wellness Action today issued strong praise for the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office after deputies shut down a savage cockfighting operation that resulted in the deaths of 56 roosters and the arrest of four suspects.
Authorities responding to a tip uncovered a gruesome scene on a rural property—dead birds strewn across the site, injured survivors and clear evidence of a coordinated animal fighting venture.
“This was a killing field, not a farm,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action. “Dozens of animals were forced into fights to the death for entertainment and gambling. This is organized cruelty, and it’s exactly the kind of lawlessness that strong law enforcement is supposed to crush.”
Cockfighting is a felony under Texas law and federal statute, yet it persists in pockets where perpetrators assume they can operate with impunity. The scale of the carnage in this case tells a different story.
“Fifty-six dead birds didn’t just happen overnight,” Pacelle said. “This was a sustained criminal enterprise built on torture, fueled by illegal gambling, and enabled by people who think the law doesn’t apply to them. The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office proved them wrong.”
Animal Wellness Action noted that cockfighting operations are frequently tied to broader criminal conduct, including narcotics trafficking, illegal firearms possession, and interstate animal transport.
“Where you find cockfighting, you find a web of crime,” added Steve Hindi, president of Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK). “Shutting down these operations isn’t just about animal welfare—it’s about public safety.”
The organizations urged prosecutors to seek maximum penalties against those arrested and called for continued vigilance across Texas and neighboring states.
“We need more raids like this one, more arrests, and more serious consequences,” Pacelle said. “Every cockfighting pit that gets shut down is a victory—but there are many more still operating in the shadows. Law enforcement must stay on offense.”
Animal Wellness Action also called on citizens to report suspected cockfighting activity, emphasizing that community tips are often the key to breaking open these cases. Tips can be sent to tips@animalwellnessaction.org. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
“This case should send a chilling message to anyone still engaged in this barbaric trade,” Pacelle said. “Your operation can and will be exposed—and when it is, you’ll be held accountable.”
Animal Wellness Action and SHARK are calling for continued aggressive enforcement and passage of federal legislation to dismantle cockfighting networks permanently. At the federal level, the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act, H.R. 3946 and S. 1454, would strengthen penalties for animal fighting, enhance federal enforcement tools, and target the organized criminal enterprises behind these operations. The bill is supported by both the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas and the National Sheriffs’ Association, along with more than 450 other law enforcement agencies and a total of nearly 1,100 endorsing agencies and organizations.
Reps. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas-37, Lance Gooden, R-Texas-5, Troy Nehls, R-Texas-22, Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas-1, Lizzie Fletcher, D-Texas-7, Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas-29, and Julie Johnson, D-Texas-32, are cosponsors of H.R. 3946. Rep. Nehls also introduced the No Flight, No Fight Act, H.R. 7371, to strengthen the federal prohibition of smuggling fighting animals on commercial aircraft. Rep. Gooden is also a cosponsor of that bill.