The online marketplace Etsy (NASDAQ: ETSY) is facing accusations from leading animal welfare groups that it is facilitating the illegal sale of cockfighting weapons, including razor-sharp gaffs and knives designed to be strapped to birds’ legs during fights.

In a formal demand letter sent to Etsy, the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action allege that the company is violating federal law by allowing such listings to persist on its platform despite repeated complaints from advocates.

“The sale of cockfighting implements—such as razor-sharp gaffs and knives to be strapped to birds’ legs to inflict maximum damage—is plainly illegal under federal law,” said Scott Edwards, general counsel to the Center for a Humane Economy.

Under the federal Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. § 2156), it is “unlawful for any person to knowingly sell, buy, transport, or deliver in interstate or foreign commerce a knife, a gaff, or any other sharp instrument attached, or designed or intended to be attached, to the leg of a bird for use in an animal fighting venture.”

“The law is unambiguous,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of both the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action. “I worked with former Republican Congressman Elton Gallegly and Senator Maria Cantwell to help enact that provision into law in 2007. The measure passed unanimously in the Senate and with nearly 400 votes in the House. Etsy is operating in contravention of federal law, and its leaders are potentially subject to arrest, with felony-level penalties. This is reckless behavior for a publicly traded company.” 

Echoes of Past Crackdowns

Pacelle pointed out that after Congress passed the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act in 2007, three national cockfighting magazines—Grit & Steel, The Feathered Warrior, and The Gamecock—were forced to shut down because they were filled with advertisements for fighting birds, fighting derbies, and fighting implements. Amazon, which had promoted subscriptions to the magazines, also ended its involvement.

“If Amazon and the publishers of cockfighting magazines were found to be violating the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, it should not be a complicated matter for Etsy’s legal team to understand their leaders are breaking the law,” Pacelle said. “The Animal Welfare Act makes it clear that magazines and websites are forbidden from advertising cockfighting contraband.”

Also problematic for online sellers of the gaffs and knives is the use of the mail to deliver the products. The federal statute states: “It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly use the mail service of the United States Postal Service or any instrumentality of interstate commerce for commercial speech for purposes of advertising an animal, or an instrument described in subsection (d), for use in an animal fighting venture, promoting or in any other manner furthering an animal fighting venture except as performed outside the limits of the States of the United States.” 

Complaints About Reappearing Listings

According to the two groups, advocates have repeatedly flagged Etsy listings promoting animal fighting gear. Posts may be taken down for a few hours, they say, but often reappear the next day from the same sellers.

“Etsy needs to do a better job of policing and removing all animal-fighting paraphernalia and not enable this kind of commerce in contraband,” the groups wrote.

Edwards reiterated that the sale of these items is not only illegal but violates Etsy’s own policies. The letter demands that Etsy:

• Identify and remove all listings for cockfighting gaffs and related implements
• Bar sellers who engage in these unlawful activities
• Establish proactive monitoring to prevent the reappearance of such contraband
• Publicly communicate that Etsy will not tolerate the promotion or sale of illegal animal fighting paraphernalia

Sellers Use Obfuscation to Evade Detection

“Cockfighters, like other criminal networks, are masters of obfuscation,” said Kevin Chambers, an animal fighting investigator with the Center. “Sellers deliberately hide intent or keywords—referring to the paraphernalia as ‘gamefowl collectibles’ instead of gaffs—or describe items in innocuous ways so automated filters and moderators miss them. One seller of gaffs on Etsy described their gaffs as ‘paperweights.’”

Steve Hindi, president of Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK), added that many sellers of cockfighting weapons also peddle paraphernalia such as clothing promoting cockfighting, books on training fighting roosters, and training equipment. “If they violate the policies, their entire account should be shut down,” he said.

Call for Broader Action and Federal Reform

In addition to demanding that Etsy purge cockfighting gear from its platform, the groups are urging the company to publicly support federal anti-animal-fighting legislation, the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act (H.R. 3946 / S. 1454). The bipartisan bill would strengthen enforcement tools to crack down on illegal dogfighting and cockfighting.

Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy have also submitted a report to the U.S. Department of Justice documenting the trafficking of fighting paraphernalia by cockfighters, some of whom are now selling knives and gaffs on Etsy.

How the Public Can Help

The groups are encouraging the public to take action if they encounter cockfighting items on Etsy:

• Report listings immediately. Use the “Report this item to Etsy” link and select the closest policy violation (animal/illegal items).
• Document everything. Take screenshots of URLs, seller IDs, timestamps, descriptions, and images to provide to law enforcement or advocacy groups.
• Escalate to authorities. If the items are clearly illegal (such as gaffs or knives designed for cockfighting), contact federal agencies like USDA/APHIS, DOJ, or Customs/CBP.
• Alert Animal Wellness Action. Email reports to animalcrueltytips@animalwellnessaction.org
• Use public pressure. Call out Etsy on social media, as platforms are sensitive to reputational risk.

Contact Congress. Urge senators and representatives to co-sponsor the FIGHT Act to give law enforcement more tools to combat the trafficking of fighting implements and other cockfighting crimes