“Those engaging in dog and cock fights are abusive, organized and dangerous—and their heinous behavior must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. It’s illegal to abuse God’s creatures for sport, and this bill would give law enforcement crucial tools to end this widespread abuse.”
Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) today reintroduced the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Animal Trafficking (FIGHT) Act to enhance national animal fighting laws by providing more tools to law enforcement and citizens to curtail cockfighting and dogfighting.
“Those engaging in dog and cock fights are abusive, organized and dangerous—and their heinous behavior must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. It’s illegal to abuse God’s creatures for sport, and this bill would give law enforcement crucial tools to end this cruel practice,” said Kennedy.
“Animal fighting is cruel, illegal, and unacceptable. It’s time we take stronger action to stop these heinous abuses against animals and protect them from being exploited for entertainment and profit. This bill will tighten enforcement to put a stop to illegal animal fighting,” said Booker.
Despite being criminalized, cockfighting and dogfighting are still common across the country. Cockfights can become hubs of violence because of the illegal activity that often accompanies them.
Cockfighting may also pose a danger to public health during the ongoing avian influenza outbreak, as people who handle bloodied birds risk becoming infected by them.
The FIGHT Act would amend Section 26 of the Animal Welfare Act to strengthen and enhance enforcement against animal fighting. This bill would:
- Ban simulcasting and gambling on animal fights in the U.S., no matter where the broadcast signals for dogfights and cockfights originate.
- Halt shipments of mature roosters (chickens only) shipped through U.S. mail. This legislation does not address shipments of baby chicks, which are used in accepted agricultural operations. Shipping dogs through the mail is already illegal.
- Creates a citizen suit provision allowing private right of action against illegal animal fighters and ease the resource burden on federal agencies.
- Enhances forfeiture provisions to include real property used in the commission of an animal fighting crime.
The full bill text of the FIGHT Act is available here.