Date
June 22, 2006
Contact
Kristie Phelps
(757) 423-0093
In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner Blvd
San Rafael
CA 94901
IDA is an international, California-based animal advocacy organization dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by defending their rights, welfare and habitats.
IDA Urges Oklahoma County District Attorney to Prosecute Man Accused of Cockfighting to the Fullest Extent
Animal Protection Group Says Man Arrested Should Pay Highest Price for Staging “Violent, Bloody Events”
Oklahoma City, Okla.—International animal protection organization In Defense of Animals (IDA) sent an urgent appeal today to Oklahoma County District Attorney Wesley Lane urging his office to vigorously prosecute Adrian Gaona who was arrested for allegedly instigating and encouraging cockfighting.
According to news sources, 61 birds were seized. The officers also found 30 knife-edged gaffs (razor-sharp knives that are attached to the birds to kill one another) and cockfighting magazines.
In the United States, cockfighting is illegal in all but two states and, in thirty-three states, it is considered a felony offense. A federal law increasing the penalties for shipping game fowl across state lines for fighting purposes or for international export took effect in 2003.
“Cockfighting is egregiously cruel and anyone caught participating in these violent, bloody events should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Elliot M. Katz, DVM, founder and president of IDA.
During cockfights, “gamecocks,” bred to be aggressive, are pumped full of stimulants like strychnine and testosterone and blood-clotting drugs. 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.” Fighting birds suffer gruesome injuries, including broken wings and legs, punctured lungs, severed spinal cords and split eyes. Cockfighting is also a breeding ground for other criminal activities. Illegal gambling, weapons and drugs are part and parcel of “gaming.”
For more information, please visit www.idausa.org/campaigns/sport/cock/cockfighting.html. A copy of the letter is available upon request.