Taking Action to Stop Illegal Animal Fighting

The brutality of dog fighting exists in the shadows throughout the country.

It's a serious felony crime.

But there are other gruesome illegal animal fighting that continue to flourish, in secret backyard pits in Texas.

"In a cock fight were not talking about two roosters pecking at each other," said John Goodwin with the Humane Society of the United States. "They are actually tie razor sharp knives to the birds legs so when they fight they slash each other to pieces."

In addition to the extremely violent nature of the animal cruelty involved, illegal animal fighting events almost always include other criminal activity according Goodwin.

New law enforcement training is aimed at putting a stop to it.

"We have a new law in Texas that prohibits even attending cockfights," said Goodwin. "That way we can dry up those admission fees that fuel this criminal industry. And they prohibit raising animals for the purposes of fighting so law enforcement can shut down the breeding operations that are raising animals for this cruel trade."

In Texas, simply spectators at a cock fight face fines.

People raising birds for cockfighting could face prison time

And the people that are actually setting the birds down in the pit to fight to the death are looking at felony convictions.

"Basically what we did was try to implement the same type of policy for dig fighting in cock fighting," said State Representative for District 38 Eddie Lucio III.

Friday The Humane Society of the United States assisted in the training of over 30 Rio Grande Valley police officers on how to identify illegal animal fighting operations and put an end the blood sport.

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News & Politics

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• KGBT
• Action 4 News
• Rio Grande Valley
• Barrington Broadcasting
• animal abuse
• dogfighting
• cockfighting
• Astrid Martinez