MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, issued the following statement regarding the recent arrest of 42 individuals in connection with an illegal cockfighting operation in southwest Miami-Dade: “Cockfighting is a grotesque and archaic form of cruelty that has no place in any community,” … Read more
MARENGO, Ill. — Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, issued the following statement regarding the recent arrest in Marengo, Illinois, on charges related to cockfighting and animal cruelty: “Cockfighting is a gruesome and senseless form of animal abuse, and it is rightly treated as a felony under Illinois and … Read more
LOS ANGELES , CA — Animal-welfare advocates applauded the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing 25 separate animal cruelty cases, a decisive action in response to a disturbing string of abuse incidents reported throughout the county. Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, issued the following … Read more
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Animal-welfare advocates are commending the U.S. Department of Justice and its federal law enforcement partners for bringing to justice the final defendant in a violent, multi-state dogfighting network that operated across the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia region. Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, issued the following statement: … Read more
Washington, D.C. — Animal Wellness Action applauds the recent actions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Cincinnati Port of Entry for intercepting a shipment containing illegal cockfighting paraphernalia. The equipment, 10 pairs of leather cockspur covers, and 10 cockfighting knife sheaths originated in Mexico and was destined for a residence in … Read more
Harrison County, MS — Animal-welfare advocates applauded federal officials at the ICE Homeland Security Task Force and the Border Enforcement Security Task Force for the arrest of more than two dozen people who were gathered in a barn near Lizana, Mississippi, that had a fighting arena lined with plexiglass and rows of seating for spectators. Wayne … Read more
Topeka, KS — Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, issued the following statement regarding the recent arrest in Topeka on charges of cockfighting and animal cruelty. “Cockfighting is a barbaric form of animal abuse, and it is a felony under Kansas and federal law,” said Pacelle. “In … Read more
The organization for Animal Cruelty Crimes Section at U.S. Department of Justice Tulsa, OK — Federal authorities charged a Tulsa man this week for illegal dogfighting activities, just weeks after unsealing a dogfighting indictment for a different man, former NFL player LeShon Johnson. Julius Deane Griffin, 43, was charged with 23 counts of prohibited dogfighting operations … Read more
Bipartisan legislation attracts nearly 800 endorsers, including Animal Wellness Action, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and the United Egg Producers Washington, D.C. — Driven by concerns over threats posed to commercial poultry production by illegal transports of fighting roosters, along with the barbarism and the comingled crimes associated with staged animal fighting, U.S. Senators John Kennedy, R-La., … Read more
Elizabeth City, N.C. — Animal Wellness Action assisted the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office with a cockfighting-related animal cruelty investigation and seizure of more than 50 ill and suffering roosters and hens from a location near Elizabeth City, N.C., in late March. Warrants for the arrest of three individuals have been issued, and an investigation is … Read more