CRAWFORD COUNTY, Ind. — Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, issued the following statement regarding the recent arrest of a Grantsburg couple in connection with illegal cockfighting activity uncovered following a vehicle incident in Harrison County:
“Cockfighting is a grotesque and archaic form of cruelty that has no place in any community,” Pacelle said. “These organized fights are not just spectacles of suffering — they are closely tied to illegal gambling, drug trafficking, and other criminal activities. We applaud law enforcement groups like the Indiana Sheriffs’ Association and agricultural stakeholders such as the Indiana State Poultry Association who’ve backed efforts to end this cruelty and the illicit industries it enables.”
The investigation began when local police responded to a vehicle breakdown and discovered two injured roosters, cockfighting paraphernalia, and signs of recent fighting activity inside a pickup truck. According to authorities, the couple admitted the birds had been involved in a cockfighting event held during a Kentucky Derby party. A subsequent search of their residence led to the seizure of 46 chickens, additional fighting equipment, and paper ledgers referencing animal sales and fighting.
“This case underscores the persistence of underground cockfighting rings, even in states like Indiana with clear prohibitions,” added Pacelle. “We urge lawmakers to support the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act, which would strengthen enforcement tools and allow authorities to more effectively dismantle these organized animal-fighting networks.”
Legislation in Congress: S. 1529 — the FIGHT Act
Animal Wellness Action is urging Indiana lawmakers, including Sens. Jim Banks and Todd Young, and members of the state’s congressional delegation, to cosponsor the bipartisan Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act, led by Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), and Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.). The bill is endorsed by the National Sheriffs’ Association, the National District Attorneys Association, and the American Gaming Association.
A fact sheet on the FIGHT Act is available here.