Press Release MOUNT PLEASANT, Texas — After conducting an undercover investigation on the evening of July 4 of a cockfighting derby in progress and tipping local authorities to the illegal event, Animal Wellness Action and Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) today issued a joint statement applauding the Titus County Sheriff’s Office for its swift action … Read more
Animal Fighting is the Pits
Press Release The two organizations uncovered an enormous derby in March at the same location, but no action was taken at that event. The groups also documented two other cockfighting derbies in Kaufman County on July 5 Mount Pleasant, Texas — Animal Wellness Action and Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) applauded the Titus County Sheriff … Read more
TULSA, Okla. – Animal Wellness Action is calling on federal, state and Cherokee Nation law enforcement authorities to bring criminal charges against the top officials of the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission (OGC) and a cockfight pit owner following damning video evidence showing their participation in two illegal cockfighting events in McIntosh County in June 2025. Animal Wellness Action also sent … Read more
Blount County, AL — Federal, state, and local law enforcement raided a cockfighting pit on Saturday night where staged fights were in progress and rounded up 75 individuals in Blount County, Ala., including citizens illegally in the country and who were part of a cockfighting syndicate in the Yellowhammer State. Animal Wellness Action provided intelligence on … Read more
IBERIA PARISH, La. — A former Jeanerette police chief has charged with cock fighting in Beauregard Parish, according to Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office. Dusty Vallot, 39, of Lafayette, was arrested and charged with cockfighting and aggravated cruelty to animals, deputies said. There have been multiple cockfighting busts in Louisiana recently, underscoring the widespread underground animal fighting network … Read more
New calls for state investigations come after Anthony Devore and Blake Pearce were exposed for violating state and federal laws against cockfighting OKLAHOMA CITY — Animal Wellness Action is renewing its 2023 call for the Oklahoma Ethics Commission to launch a formal investigation into the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission’s disregard for Oklahoma campaign finance laws, with … Read more
Congress must act now to stop the criminal networks fueling animal fighting, violence, and disease threats You can listen to an AI-generated reading of this story here: Today, an extraordinarily diverse set of lawmakers — representing the entire political spectrum in America, from right to center to left — introduced the FIGHT Act in the … Read more
VERMILION PARISH, La. — A routine traffic stop in Vermilion Parish has resulted in felony animal cruelty and drug charges, after authorities discovered dozens of gamefowl, cockfighting paraphernalia, and narcotics inside a vehicle and trailer operated by Dion David Romero, according to local news reports. The case again underscores the widespread and barely concealed underground cockfighting network … Read more
Bipartisan legislation with 25 Republicans and 23 Democrats original cosponsors mirrors Senate bill and garners support from 800+ agencies and organizations, including the National Sheriffs’ Association, United Egg Producers, and American Gaming Association Washington, D.C. — In a legislative maneuver to crack down on the cruelty and organized crime associated with animal fighting, U.S. Representatives Don Bacon, … Read more
A political movement led by two Oklahoma cockfighters has spread across the nation, but can it continue with them documented on tape involved in cockfighting crimes? You can listen to an AI-generated reading of this story here: We knew all along that the two self-appointed national leaders of the effort to weaken our nation’s animal … Read more