Something very sad was discovered in my home state this week. An illegal cock-fighting pit was found in Citronelle, Alabama.
The FBI executed a search warrant on Friday and found the ginormous pit. This was a huge space that could hold up to 1,000 animals at a time.
It wasn’t just the cockfighting pit in this building. They had bleacher seating, concession stands, trophies, cockfighting paraphernalia, and they had spaces people could rent for their birds.
Image By Prescotte Stokes III Via AL.com
Chris Schindler, Director of Animal Crimes for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), said this in a statement:
“It draws participants from across the region, has regular attendance of more than 400 people on a weekly basis, and can bring in more than $1 million throughout a cockfighting season, not counting side bets.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the HSUS are continuing their investigation. No arrests have been made yet.
An undercover FBI agent witnessed the Alabama Gamefowl Breeder’s Association President John Helm addressing people at an illegal cockfight. There were 117 people there with around seven birds each. He talked about how his organization was fighting against raising penalties for cockfighting. He mentioned that he is a friend of a state representative who would help them.
Cockfighting is illegal under state and federal laws. Unfortunately, Alabama has one of the weakest anti-cockfighting laws in the country. Violators only get a $50 fine.
Under federal law, attending a cockfight could get someone a year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Taking a minor to one of these fights could land someone three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. These penalties were made law by the Federal Farm bill in 2014.
The CEO of the HSUS, Wayne Pacelle, said this about it:
“The Farm Bill gives us a new hammer in breaking up dogfighting and cockfighting rings, allowing law enforcement to crack down on the entire cast of characters involved in these sickening enterprises.”
I would love to see all animal cruelty stopped. Here is a TV ad advocating stronger laws against cockfighting.
Featured Image taken from YouTube video
