Asheville, NC — Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy say North Carolina’s anti-cockfighting law comes up short in helping law enforcement crack down on a crime wave of underground criminal networks involved in cockfighting. The state’s law is in urgent need of major repair in this year’s state legislative session in … Read more
Our multi-pronged assault on animal fighting requires your help Animal fighting is a parade of horrors. Dogfighters put dogs of the same weight in an enclosed pit and goad them to attack each other, with blood staining every inch of the pits and the contests sometimes lasting more than an hour. The people who stage … Read more
Agency response is gutting a key sector of agriculture, costing consumers and taxpayers more than $20 billion and doing little to stem spread of runaway bird flu H5N1 Washington, D.C. — In a letter sent today to Agriculture Secretary nominee Brooke Rollins, agricultural veterinarians and an executive from the Center for a Humane Economy and … Read more
Vaccinating birds, cracking down on cockfighting a good start The USDA’s response to the H5N1 crisis continues to be, in a word, a disaster. Bungled. Expensive. Deadly. And not protective of the American public. It’s a performance that should raise the hackles of every American, whether they care about animal welfare, their own health and … Read more
Press Release 10 birds seized, with arrests in Atoka and Murray counties Tulsa, OK — Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy applauded federal and local law enforcement in Southern Oklahoma for enforcing laws against illegal possession and transportation of fighting roosters for cockfighting. The interdiction, resulting in the arrest two Texas men … Read more
Press Release Had state lawmakers acted on a series of bills to make cockfighting a felony over the last decade, Johnny Ray Wilburn may not have committed a triple homicide. Nashville, TN — A notorious, twice-arrested Tennessee cockfighter murdered a family of three in Walland, Tenn., this weekend and then burned down their home, according … Read more
Cockfighting busts imperative given spread of bird flu threatening agriculture and human health Yucaipa, CA — Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy applauded San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office for busting a criminal cockfighting operation yesterday in Yucaipa. The interdiction resulted in the arrest two men, detention of 33 others, and the seizure of … Read more
Fort Lauderdale, FL — Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, applauded the work of FBI agents in a major animal fighting raid that led to the arrest of one of South Florida’s top dogfighters at his Deerfield Beach home on Tuesday. Authorities seized nearly three dozen dogs … Read more
Press Release Cockfighting is a potential superspreader of H5N1 Louisville, KY — Leaders and scientists with Animal Wellness Action, Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK), and the Center for a Humane Economy called out cockfighting as a “runaway crime” and a “viral superspreader” in Kentucky and said that it poses a direct and documented threat … Read more
Misguided and misdirected response resulted in mass killing of animals and creating conditions for viral spillover to human beings Pierre, S.D. — Two veterinarians — each with career-long experience in animal agriculture and with additional academic training and professional experience in public health and infectious disease response — leveled detailed criticisms at top officials at … Read more