December 27, 2021
DEAR FRIENDS,
Like in previous years, SHARK has accomplished what other animal groups considered impossible for the animals. Thank you for your
support in helping to make this possible. With more resources, we can accomplish so much more for the animals in 2022. Please donate here.
To see the entire mailer, click here.
Previously we’ve told you about Jacklyn Johnson. Johnson (pictured below) was a bailiff with the Laurel County Sheriff’s Department in Kentucky. We have an important update.
Ms. Johnson's law career came to a screeching halt on July 10th, when SHARK investigators reported a cockfight held at a pit named, “Bald Rock” to the local State Police Troop. After months of mounting pressure from SHARK the State Police shut down the fight and 10 cockfighters were cited. This included Ms. Johnson who was cited for promoting gambling. Her name was soon removed from the Sheriff’s Department’s website and we confirmed that she no longer worked there.
SHARK and our partners at the Humane Farming Association took out large ads (below) in multiple KY newspapers. After seeing these ads the State Police knew they couldn’t sit idly by anymore!
Shutting down this large fighting pit was a major victory against cockfighting in KY!
The biggest reason why cockfights still exist in the United States, even though they are illegal everywhere throughout the country is corrupt police who protect the cockfighters for payoffs. Perhaps the most extreme case of corrupt police is to be found in Laurel County, Kentucky, where Sheriff John Root and his team of deputies not only protect cockfighters, but also run a towing scam, fix court cases, and allow illegal gambling. We’re exposing Root and other corrupt police because it is both the right thing to do, and it is the best way to put a chokehold on cruel, illegal cockfighting.
You can see our videos about Sheriff Root here.
In May, SHARK shut down our first cockfight in Atoka County, Oklahoma.
The Atoka County Sheriff’s Office took swift action. Multiple law enforcement vehicles were dispatched to the scene. The cockfighters moved quickly as well, quickly shutting and locking a gate, and running for the hills like the cowards they are.
With your help, we continue to monitor this and other known or potential cockfight properties in Oklahoma!
The cockfighting property, taken with our drone. The small boxes
at the bottom are where the roosters are kept
SHARK and our friends at the Humane Farming Association have been tirelessly going after illegal massive rooster breeding/ cockfighting operations in Monterey County, CA. This included a lawsuit we filed to have a county anti-cockfighting ordinance enforced. We returned to California in April and used our drones to see if Monterey County started enforcing the ordinance that limits properties to only 5 roosters unless they have a permit. Our video was covered in the news as there are still massive illegal rooster operations in violation of the ordinance.
SHARK’s campaign to crush cockfighting is the most comprehensive, forceful and successful effort ever in the history of the animal protection movement to shut down these vile and disgusting fights. It’s been a hard journey fraught with danger, violence and threats, but with your help, we continue to fight on.
SHARK has taken on Jeff and Lauren Lowe, who run the new Tiger King Park in Oklahoma. In 2021, we ramped up our efforts against this despicable couple who have abused and mistreated the animals in their care. The Lowe’s were furious that we were capturing evidence of their abuse and took it out on SHARK’s investigators. This not only included the Lowe’s verbally harassing our drone team but Jeff’s adult son, Taylor, tried to shoot down our drone numerous times. He also recklessly drove his car right past us at probably 100 miles an hour on the small road we were stationed on.
After seeing SHARK's drone video footage of the horrid conditions at the Tiger King Park, the federal government sued the Lowes and forced them to give up 68 of their big cats. As soon as we found out when the cats were going to be moved, we rushed to OK with our drone and filmed the transfer.
SHARK’s drone video of tigers, followed by the
removal of big cats from the zoo
SHARK captured dramatic video of the big cats being moved along with the sad plight of those animals left behind, such as the wolf in the picture below who is clearly in desperate need of care. Our video was covered in multiple media outlets.
We returned once more to the Lowe’s property and filmed piles of burnt carcasses and illegal dumpsites containing hazardous materials (see picture on below).
We filed a complaint with the OK Department of Environmental Quality who sent out an inspector. The DEQ forced the owner of the property to clean up the sites and warned them to never do that again. If we had not been there, then the Lowe’s polluting and contaminating of the environment would have continued.
SHARK’s work and videos against the Lowes spurred a petition. Our video was so powerful that the petition garnered over 75,000 signatures.
SHARK's hard-hitting, tenacity going after animal abusers is relentless and expensive. While SHARK is as frugal as possible, traveling is expensive - fuel for our travel vehicles, hotels, food, tolls and vehicle maintenance/repairs aren't cheap.
Please donate here to keep SHARK on the road for the animals in 2022.
