Ohio law enforcement, humane groups, and agricultural groups want the FIGHT Act to complement local and state efforts to crack down on animal fighting
Lorain County, OH — Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy applaud The Friendship Animal Protective League (FAPL) for its recent raid on an alleged cockfighting operation in Lorain County, Ohio. FAPL’s Humane Investigation Department seized more than 200 animals, including 131 roosters, 97 hens, five rabbits, three dogs, and four pigeons. The animals were found in cramped, unsanitary cages without adequate food or water.
“Despite being a felony, cockfighting is a persistent and ugly problem from Lake Erie to the Ohio River,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. “The Friendship Animal Protective League deserves major credit for spearheading this raid.”
Last week, U.S. Representative David Joyce, R-Ohio, introduced the Animal Cruelty Enforcement (ACE) Act, H.R. 1477, to create an animal cruelty crimes section at the U.S. Department of Justice to crack down on animal fighting crimes. A set of federal lawmakers are also backing the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act to strengthen the national law against cockfighting and dogfighting.
In Lorain County, roosters were found with razor-sharp blades called “gaffs” on their legs, which can cause severe injuries and death during fights. Dubbing — the act of removing a rooster’s waddles, combs, and earlobes to limit blood loss during a fight — was also taking place when agents arrived. The FAPL is working with local law enforcement to investigate the incident and bring charges against those responsible.
Pacelle referred to cockfighting as a “viral superspreader” and said it poses a direct and documented threat to the state’s critical poultry industry. (Ohio is the second-largest egg producer in the country.) Scientists for the groups said that rampant cockfighting and trafficking of fighting birds could further spread H5N1 among the state’s more than 1,000 commercial broiler bird and laying-hen farms, housing more than 43 million hens.
“Cockfighting is not a petty offense, but a form of organized crime that threatens not only to spread cruelty but also an avian disease that could create chaos for the state’s multi-billion-dollar poultry industry,” said Pacelle. “H5N1 is driving higher prices for consumers, collectively costing them $20 billion in higher egg prices alone during the last three years, and cockfighting could extend the reach and virulence of the disease.”
Dr. Jim Keen, director of veterinary sciences for the Center for a Humane Economy, noted that theUSDA has overseen the killing of 166 million birds, the vast majority of them laying hens and this mass killing has resulted in a constriction in the national egg supply.
“Cockfighting birds were responsible for two-thirds of all U.S. outbreaks of virulent Newcastle disease, a dangerous viral poultry disease very similar to bird flu,” said Dr. Keen. “It is axiomatic that trafficking and smuggling of fighting birds constitute extreme risk for our poultry industry, especially when so many non-nationals working in our poultry houses hail from countries that allow cockfighting.”
The FIGHT Act would enhance enforcement of these laws by banning online gambling on animal fights; halting the shipment of mature roosters (chickens only) through the U.S. Postal Service (it is already illegal to ship dogs through the mail); allowing a civil right of action for private citizens against animal fighters after proper notice to federal authorities; and enhancing criminal forfeiture penalties to include real property for those convicted of animal fighting crimes.
The measure is endorsed by 760 organizations, including the National Sheriffs’ Association, the National District Attorneys’ Association, the Ohio Poultry Association, and Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association. Returning Ohio Congressmen Mike Carey, David Joyce, and Max Miller cosponsored the legislation in the 118th Congress.
Animal Wellness Action provides rewards of $2,500 to citizens who report cockfighting crimes and whose information leads to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators. Citizens can email information to [email protected].