IDA Rescues 40 Roosters after Cockfighting Bust   Abused Birds Given Medical Care and Sent to a Sanctuary

In early May 2006, IDA rescued 40 roosters used for cockfights following the arrest of 21 men in Tifton, Georgia in connection with the illegal blood sport. Upon learning of the arrests, IDA sent an urgent appeal to District Attorney Paul Bowden, urging his office to vigorously prosecute those arrested. All twenty-one men were charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, a felony in Georgia. According to news sources, of the birds seized, nine were dead and two were injured so badly they had to be euthanized. Forty others, including one rooster whose tongue was severed and another who was missing an eye due to a severe head injury, survived.

Working with Regenia Wells, Director of Tifton - Tift County Animal Shelter, IDA will provide the birds with medical care and transport them to a sanctuary so they can recover from a life of abuse. "Most birds used in these violent, bloody events aren't fortunate enough to even live through it," said Elliot M. Katz, DVM, founder and president of IDA. "We are pleased to be able give these animals a second chance."

During cockfights, "gamecocks" who are bred to be aggressive are pumped full of stimulants like strychnine and testosterone as well as blood-clotting drugs to make them fight longer. Their natural spurs are sawed off and replaced by razor sharp steel blades or curved implements called gaffs which measure from one to three inches long to make fights more "exciting" for spectators. Fighting birds suffer gruesome injuries, including broken wings and legs, punctured lungs, severed spinal cords and split eyes. The real loser is always the rooster during a cockfight because the winner is normally so badly ripped open he is killed after the fight - thrown out with the trash and treated with no more respect than an empty beer bottle. Cockfights are also a breeding ground for other criminal activities such as illegal gambling, and weapon and drug dealing.

Cockfighting is illegal in the U.S. in all but two states - Louisiana and New Mexico - and is punishable as a felony offense in 33 states. In fact, just yesterday a Senate committee in Louisiana unanimously voted to ban cockfighting throughout the state. Senate Bill 652, introduced by Senator Art Lentini, still has to be approved by the full Senate and the House of Representatives, but its passage would leave New Mexico as the only state where cockfighting remains sanctioned by the government. A federal law increasing the penalties for shipping game fowl across state lines for fighting purposes or for international export has already been in effect since 2003.

- Please write to District Attorney Paul Bowden and urge him to prosecute the 21 men arrested in connection with cockfighting to the fullest extent.

District Attorney Paul Bowden
P.O. Box 1252
Tifton, GA 31793

Fax: (229) 386-7957

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