Animal fighting is organized crime, yet some rural sheriffs show disregard for law | Opinion
Animal fighting harms animals and humans and undermines the rule of law and safety of our communities. We must address it as a most serious crime. If you Google any cockfighting bust in Oklahoma over the past few years, you will see a clear pattern:
First, animals are always killed in the most gruesome ways. Fighters take a live animal, strap razor-sharp blades or gaffs onto their legs, and goad them into fighting and slashing each other to death in a pit for the entertainment of a crowd of gamblers. We know they suffer, as roosters are sentient beings and anyone who has raised one knows they are affectionate and social beings.
Second, these busts almost always include a long list of seized illegal weapons, dangerous drugs like fentanyl and violence to humans. Last April at a Hawaii cockfighting pit, five people were shot, including two who died.
Third, the aftermath brings a burden to communities and animal welfare agencies, as overcrowded shelters that focus on dogs and cats are forced to handle an immediate influx of hundreds of seized birds.
Oklahoma anti-cruelty laws must be enforced, even strengthened
Animal Wellness Action’s mission is to rid Oklahoma of the horrific and dangerous crime of animal fighting. We work with Showing Animals Respect and Kindness to provide tips to authorities to bust cockfights in real time and bring criminals to justice.
We see some law enforcement doing a great job on the ground making busts as they receive tips.
A few weeks ago, diligent deputies with the Carter County Sheriff’s Office busted a cockfighting operation and charged one Texas man with eluding law enforcement. He, along with many others at the cockfight fled when the authorities arrived. But evidence was left behind, including many fighting roosters that needed to be seized and taken to safety, followed by charges filed against the guilty.
This case offers a recent and relevant example of how cockfighting remains rampant in Oklahoma, even while some sheriff’s offices are doing a great job making busts.
We have to ask: Why then, is animal fighting still happening and on an increasing level in our state? Remember that just last summer, 11 people were charged after an even larger bust in Carter County where dead and dying roosters were found.
The answer is pretty simple.
First, there still exists a permissive attitude among some key stakeholders toward animal fighting. State lawmakers and even some rural sheriffs keep sending the signal that disregard for the rule of law is acceptable. These lawmakers and lawmen are consorting with the leaders of the misleadingly named Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission, which is a known cockfighting front group. Last summer, the former district director of that group, Chance Campo, was arrested at an illegal cockfight in Carter County.
More: YouTube pulls video of Oklahoma Gov. Stitt praising cockfighting group, cites animal cruelty
Gov. Kevin Stitt has been filmed cheering on the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission. And the group has been promoting, without success, legislation to make the felony of animal fighting a mere misdemeanor with small fines and no jail time.
Secondly, even though the law allows the imposition of felony penalties for cockfighting, these charges are only being infrequently leveled against perpetrators. Campo was one of seven men charged with an illegal cockfighting felony, but his sentence was deferred and reduced to a misdemeanor and a $740 fine, which is the average price for one fighting rooster that a cockfighter sells for profit. Five others were let off with similar fines and no jail time.
Congress is considering a federal bill called the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act. If this act were already in place, citizens could drag notorious cockfighters into federal court where they would be in effect put out of business forever.
Oklahoma’s congressional delegation should support the FIGHT Act, which is supported by 500 organizations and agencies spanning agriculture, animal welfare and law enforcement. There’s no excuse not to act to crack down on lawlessness and animal cruelty in Oklahoma. Passing the FIGHT Act sends exactly the right signal.
Kevin Chambers is Oklahoma state director of Animal Wellness Action, a nonprofit that is dedicated to eradicating illegal animal fighting in Oklahoma and nationwide.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma cockfighting still being ignored by some state officials
