On May 3rd, President Bush signed into law a bill that will help law enforcement rid the United States of dog fighting, cockfighting, and other forms of animal fighting from coast to coast.
Dog fighting and cockfighting crimes are rampant in the United States, with individuals arrested every week in scores of locations under state laws. The vast underground networks generate pervasive animal cruelty, drug trafficking, illegal gambling, public corruption and even violence and murder. The Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, which garnered large bi-partisan support in Congress, will give law enforcement a stronger tool to crack down on this illegal activity.
"Animal fighting is a barbaric and inhumane practice, and it is fitting and appropriate that we now have a national policy condemning and criminalizing this form of organized animal cruelty," states Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, which has led the national battle against animal fighting and been the primary advocate for this federal legislation.
"We are grateful for the President's support, and also grateful for the extraordinary team of Congressional champions — Senators Cantwell, Ensign, Specter, and Feinstein and Representatives Gallegly, Blumenauer, and Bartlett — who worked tirelessly to pass this important legislation."
The law takes effect immediately. It provides felony penalties for interstate commerce, import and export related to animal fighting activities, including commerce in cockfighting weapons. It will make it much harder for criminals who partake in dog fighting and cockfighting to continue their operations. Each violation of the federal law may bring up to three years in jail and up to a $250,000 fine for perpetrators.
Cockfighting is outlawed in every state except Louisiana, although there is mounting pressure in that state to ban the practice. Many states still have misdemeanor penalties for cockfighting. The federal law slaps felony penalties on interstate cockfighting trafficking, and this should provide an enormous deterrent for the tens of thousands of people involved in this criminal industry.
The law will have a devastating impact on major breeders of fighting animals, who depend on customers from all over the United States and abroad. Dog kennels rely on transporting their fighting dogs across state lines and across the world to customers. The new law should substantially curb the transport of fighting animals across state and U.S. borders. The HSUS is already seeing some major breeders of fighting roosters cutting back on production.
The Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act will help end the export of fighting animals to other countries. Selling roosters to customers in the Philippines and other nations can be lucrative for American cockfighters. The new law puts increased pressure on the airlines to stop shipping roosters to cockfighting hot spots.
Facts:
- S. 261 had the bipartisan support of 40 cosponsors, and its House companion, H.R. 137, had 304 cosponsors.
- More than 500 groups endorsed this legislation, including all major humane organizations, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the National Chicken Council, the National Sheriffs' Association, and more than 400 local law enforcement agencies covering all 50 states.
- There are reports of animal fighting crimes nearly every week in the United States. In March alone, raids in Ohio and California yielded dozens of arrests, the seizure of 64 dogs, 300 birds, $30,000 dollars in illegal gambling proceeds, guns and an explosive device.
- Lawmakers have expressed concern about the role of the worldwide trade in fighting birds and the spread of avian flu.
- The legislation establishes a felony-level penalty of up to three years of jail time for any interstate or foreign transport of animals for fighting purposes. Previously, moving animals across state lines or national borders for the purpose of fighting them was a misdemeanor. The law also makes it a crime to move cockfighting weapons in interstate or foreign commerce.
- Dog fighting is illegal in all 50 states. Cockfighting is illegal in 49 states, with Governor Bill Richardson signing a bill to ban cockfighting in New Mexico last month. Only Louisiana allows legal cockfighting.
- State lawmakers across the country are trying to strengthen anti-animal fighting laws; legislators in Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas are considering bills.
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