New Federal Legislation — the FIGHT Act — Introduced
I am glad that our existing federal law against animal fighting is strong and comprehensive. But it can be even stronger, and the FIGHT Act will make it so by enhancing the capacity of federal law enforcement personnel and even private citizens to take action against dogfighters and cockfighters.
Here’s what our new measure will do:
- Establish a national ban on gambling on animal fighting.
- Ban shipping adult fighting animals through the U.S. mail.
- Enable the government to seize real property if it’s used in the commission of an animal fighting venture.
- Allow private citizens to initiate civil actions against animal fighters when law enforcement doesn’t act on reliable information.
Let’s face it. The cockfighters and dogfighters commit atrocities against animals for amusement and for money. We have to hit them where it hurts.
Cockfighting and dogfighting are both barbaric in the extreme, but cockfighting has an additional feature that wreaks even more havoc. Cockfighting and the trafficking of fighting roosters threaten to spread avian influenza and other diseases.
The United States is already experiencing a dangerous and enormously costly outbreak of avian influenza. Cockfighting could extend the duration and geography of the outbreak, even making the virus more lethal and more transmissible to humans.
We’ll stop dogfighting and cockfighting only when we can nab the kingpins, shut down the pits, seize the live contraband, and penalize the whole cast of characters involved.
The introduction of the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking Act—S. 1529 in the Senate and H.R. 2742 in the House—offers the prospect of doing just that.
Please write to your lawmakers today! You can contact them automatically to show your support by
following this link.
And I hope you’ll donate to our “Animal Fighting is the Pits” campaign today. It’s a fight we cannot afford to lose.
For the animals,
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Wayne Pacelle
President
Center for a Humane Economy
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