Sheriffs organizations nationwide have swung behind a national bill called the FIGHT Act to provide more tools for law enforcement to crack down on animal-fighting crimes
Buckley, WA — The recent raid on an abandoned building in Pierce county, Wash., revealed evidence — including 140 roosters — of a massive cockfighting ring in Buckley, and leaders of two national animal-welfare groups say this latest major bust in Washington shows that the state is a national hub for illegal animal fighting, despite strong laws. The groups are Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy.
Washington makes animal fighting a felony, and U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., led the fight in Congress in 2007 to make animal fighting a federal felony and to ban the trade in cockfighting knives and gaffs to be attached to the birds’ legs.
“We applaud the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office for this raid and the officers’ swift and consequential actions,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. “Animal fighting is not only cruel and barbaric but it is bound up with a wide range of other crimes, including illegal weapons possession, narcotics trafficking, illegal gambling, and human-on-human violence.”
Law enforcement said it was apparent the birds had been acquired, trained, and fitted with gear indicative of cockfighting. The owner of the birds “had knives that are used to put on a chicken’s feet,” Sgt. Darren Moss Jr. told local media. “He had altered some of the roosters by cutting off their crowns and wattles around their neck to prevent them from bleeding heavily during fighting. There was plenty of evidence to show the owner there was operating a cock fighting ring.”
Washington treats animal fighting as a felony, but cockfighters often flaunt even strong state and federal anti-animal-fighting statutes.
- Eastern Washington Gang Ring (2024): A violent prison gang was linked to a cockfighting operation, leading to 34 arrests across the country.
- Pierce County International Ring (2024): Authorities disrupted an international cockfighting ring, rescuing 60 roosters.
- Yakima County Raid (2024): A large-scale cockfighting operation was uncovered in Yakima County, resulting in multiple arrests and the rescue of numerous roosters.
- Franklin County Raid (2022): A search warrant served on a property in Franklin County led to the discovery of a cockfighting operation and the arrest of several individuals.
- Island County Bust (2019): A cockfighting operation was discovered on Whidbey Island, resulting in the seizure of roosters and the arrest of the property owner.
- Port Orchard Bust (2018): The Washington State Gambling Commission seized 300 roosters and arrested two individuals involved in an illegal cockfighting operation.
- Benton County Investigation (2017): Authorities in Benton County received numerous complaints about cockfighting activities but faced challenges in gathering evidence.
- Spokane County Investigation (2016): A multi-agency investigation led to the dismantling of a cockfighting ring in Spokane County, with several arrests made.
- King County Raid (2015): A raid on a property in King County uncovered evidence of cockfighting, leading to the arrest of multiple individuals.
- Whatcom County Seizure (2013): Animal control officers seized dozens of roosters from a property in Whatcom County, suspected to be involved in cockfighting.
The raid comes as Congress considers taking up the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act to address the threat that animal fighting poses to community safety, agriculture, and animal well-being.
“As a veterinarian, I am sickened by staged animal fights,” said retired Army Colonel Thomas Pool, D.V.M., senior veterinarian of Animal Wellness Action. “Cockfighting is barbaric, and I commend Pierce County for doing its duty to enforce anti-cruelty laws.” Dr. Pool is former chief of the U.S. Army Veterinary Command, a tri-service U.S. military command.
The FIGHT Act
Millions of fighting animals are trafficked into and out of the United States every year, with hundreds of thousands smuggled across the U.S. border with Mexico. The long-distance movement of birds, who are often infected with avian diseases, is a threat to production agriculture for broiler birds and laying hens. To address this continuing problem and to give law enforcement more tools to end this barbaric trade, Animal Wellness Action and the Center have been working to pass the FIGHT Act.
The FIGHT Act, by amending Section 26 of the Animal Welfare Act, would enhance the enforcement opportunities by banning on-line gambling of animal fighting ventures; halting the shipment of mature roosters (chickens only) shipped through the U.S. mail (it is already illegal to ship dogs through the mail); creating a citizen suit provision, after proper notice to federal authorities, to allow private right of action against illegal animal fighters; and enhancing forfeiture provisions to include real property for animal fighting crimes.
Animal Wellness Action is calling on all U.S. lawmakers, including Washington elected officials in Washington, D.C., to cosponsor the FIGHT Act. The measure has 650 endorsing agencies and organizations and has strong bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress.
Only U.S. Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez, D-3, and Derek Kilmer, D-6, are cosponsors of the FIGHT Act.
Reward Program
To help combat dogfighting and cockfighting, Animal Wellness Action has launched a new reward program that offers cash compensation not only for information that leads to arrests and convictions, but also for tips on the location of planned or occurring cockfights in the state. The organization will provide $2,500 to any individual who provides tips to us or law enforcement that results in arrests in Washington for illegal cockfighting under state or federal law. Amounts for other information will vary based on the credibility and timeliness of the tips.
Tipsters may contact [email protected].