A gamecock. Courtesy/wikipediaHumane Society News:
A hard-won federal law goes into effect today to close a loophole that allowed cockfighters to continue operating in U.S. territories.
Supported by the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund, this law seeks to end a cruel practice that results in severe suffering and death for countless birds each year.
Regrettably, cockfighters in the territories have been putting up resistance and seeking to undermine the federal law. However, in late October, a federal district court for the District of Puerto Rico found that Congress was within its power to clarify that the existing federal ban on cockfighting in the U.S. states applies equally to the U.S. territories. Read more on this in a joint blog post by Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, and Sara Amundson, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund.
“Cockfighting is a despicable business, pitting one animal against another for gambling and entertainment. The birds suffer terribly, and animal fighting is associated with violent crimes against people while also endangering public health,” said Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. “Any attempts to defend cockfighting on the grounds of culture are simply misguided and should not be entertained.”
“The idea that barbaric cockfighting is a cultural tradition is simply a false narrative. We are a nation that decries animal cruelty and federal law should apply across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the rest of territories. We urge the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Justice to begin actively working to shut down cockfighting enterprises in the territories,” said Sara Amundson, president of Humane Society Legislative Fund, “It’s well established that cockfighting invites other criminal activity which is why the federal government has taken an active role in pursuing animal fighting cases stateside. Polling shows that the majority of citizens in Puerto Rico believe in the cockfighting ban. Let’s not tolerate lower standards of animal welfare because of the pushback from a vocal minority of cockfighters.”