Date
November 30, 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 Calls for Strictest Prosecution of 70+ Cockfighters
Organization Says Those Arrested Should Face Toughest Penalty
Winnebago County, Ill.—International animal protection organization In Defense of Animals (IDA) sent an urgent appeal today to States Attorney Greg Minger, urging his office to vigorously prosecute the 70+ people who were arrested last week in connection with cockfighting.
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 Dr. 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.