The series of investigations uncover a massive organized criminal network of cockfighting farms, fighting pits, and fighting-animal shipping locations Odessa, Texas — Animal Wellness Action, the Center for a Humane Economy, and Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) today released evidence from an undercover investigation conducted this past weekend that uncovered an extensive cockfighting operation in … Read more

Poland, Europe’s top producer just banned mink farming, signaling the deep unpopularity and associated biohazards of mink farming.  WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla. and Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. introduced the MINKS are Superspreaders Act, a bipartisan bill that would prohibit mink farming in the United States. The bill, strongly supported by Animal Wellness … Read more

Association representing sheriffs in all 10 Granite State counties urges congressional delegation to pass legislation to strengthen enforcement against cockfighting and dogfighting. CONCORD, N.H. — Declaring that staged animal fighting “remains a significant threat to public safety, animal welfare, and lawful commerce,” the New Hampshire Sheriff’s Association (NHSA) has formally endorsed the federal FIGHT Act, a … Read more

Washington, D.C. — In a move that signals practical action and growing federal momentum away from animal testing, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued draft guidance to move down a regulatory path to reduce primate and other animal use in the development of monoclonal antibody drugs. The guidance, titled Monoclonal Antibodies: Streamlined Nonclinical Safety … Read more

WASHINGTON — Animal Wellness Action applauds the swift and decisive action by Provo Police Department and other law enforcement agencies that led to the arrest of 17 individuals and the seizure of more than 50 dead roosters in a large-scale illegal cockfighting operation in Provo, Utah. According to police, officers initiated a welfare check at a … Read more

Press Statement HOUSTON — Animal Wellness Action commended law enforcement in Texas for taking decisive action this Thanksgiving weekend against barbaric and illegal animal-fighting operations. Officials at the Washington D.C.-based animal-welfare nonprofit saluted deputies in the Harris County Sheriff’s Office for their swift response to a tip about a cockfighting ring on Little York Road in … Read more

Thanksgiving Day cockfighting derby in Alvarado

One more bust in the “Cockfighting Corridor” between Tulsa and Dallas ALVARADO, Texas — In the wake of a report last month that identified an extensive criminal network of illegal cockfighting operations clustered between Tulsa and Dallas, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office raided a Thanksgiving Day cockfighting derby in Alvarado, arresting 25 people and seizing more … Read more

Seven Arrested; More Than 30 Live Birds Seized in Connecticut Illegal Animal-Fighting Bust WASHINGTON, D.C. — Wayne Pacelle, a native of New Haven and now president of Animal Wellness Action, today praised the West Haven Police Department for swiftly dismantling an illegal cockfighting operation over the weekend, calling the incident a stark reminder that animal-fighting trafficking networks … Read more

45 Arrested in Newton County’s “Operation Pitbull” – Cash, Narcotics, and Firearms Seized AUSTIN, Texas — Animal Wellness Action today applauded the collaborative work of law enforcement authorities in Newton County, Texas for dismantling a large-scale dog-fighting operation in Newton County, calling the raid one of the most consequential dog-fighting enforcement actions in the state in … Read more

More than 100 species are victims of plumbism, as are hunting families WASHINGTON D.C. — U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) reintroduced the Lead Endangers Animals Daily (LEAD) Act, H.R. 6268, to direct the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to phase out lead ammunition and lead fishing tackle on the country’s 573 National Wildlife Refuges. … Read more