Gallegly bill targets dog, cock fights

U.S.Rep. Elton Gallegly (RThousand Oaks) introduced on the first day of the 110th Congress a bill making violations of federal animal fighting law a felony punishable by up to two years in prison, making it a felony to transport an animal across state or international borders for the purpose of animal fighting, and prohibiting the interstate and foreign commerce in knives and gaffs designed for use in cockfighting.

"Animal fighting is a brutal, inhumane practice," Gallegly said. "Criminals engage in the activity to launder money. It is closely tied to the drug trade. Children are endangered from dogs trained to fight in their homes. And cockfighting has been tied to the spread of bird flu."

The bill is similar to one introduced by Rep. Mark Green of Wisconsin in 2005. Gallegly was an original cosponsor of Green's bill and was responsible for gathering about 200 of the 324 cosponsors on the bill.

Cockfighting has been identified as the major contributor of the spread of avian flu throughout Thailand and other parts of Asia, where the strain originated. Many of the humans who contracted avian flu and died from it contracted it from fighting birds. Roosters smuggled into the United States for the express purpose of cockfighting could likely carry the disease.

Fighting roosters smuggled into California from Mexico caused the 2002-03 outbreak of exotic Newcastle disease, which cost U.S. taxpayers $200 million to eradicate and cost the poultry industry millions more in lost overseas exports.