by Jessica Taloney
Published: Mon, February 02, 2009 - 5:50 pm CST
Last Updated: Mon, February 02, 2009 - 5:55 pm CST
The Humane Society of the United States is hoping Alabama will become the 39th state to make cockfighting a felony.Alabama outlawed the rural sport, which involves strapping razor blades to roosters' ankles and waging bets on their fights, more than a century ago, but the misdemeanor offense only carries a $25 to $50 fine.
Democratic state Sen. Hinton Mitchem of Union Grove and Republican state Rep. Cam Ward of Alabaster are sponsoring a bill that would increase the penalty to up to 10 years in prison.
"Pitting two animals against each other for entertainment or money is most violent, baseless, horrendous thing that could be happening," says Renne Jones, an animal abuse investigator in Escambia County. Jones says the state bill is just as much about law enforcement as it is about animal cruelty.
"With any type of fighting there is a direct link between animal abuse and domestic violence," says Jones. "They often confiscate illegal weapons and illegal drugs"
Alabama Attorney General Troy King publicly announced his support for the bill during a press conference last month, but another state official may not throw his support to the animal activists.
In 2007, Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks wrote a letter opposing a federal law that made it illegal to transport animals across state lines for the purpose of fighting. At the time, cockfighting was still legal in Louisiana, and Sparks said "the sale and export of game fowl chickens is an industry of its own." He went on to say "flock owners make a great impact on our financial system in the upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars each year through the purchase of feed, equipment and supplies."
News Five called Commissioner Sparks about the state bill, but he was unable to do an interview. His spokesperson gave us this statement:
"He has not read the proposed legislation so he can not say whether he agrees with the bill in its entirety, but the department does not tolerate illegal activity and actively works diligently to solve and prevent crime everyday. Just because we approach the idea of additional legislation cautiously doesn't mean we are against it. There is a bigger issue and that is genetics and potentially destroying a species. People should be allowed to own these birds. We should not do away with the species of animal because some people are using them to fight illegally."
Nonetheless, the state director for the Humane Society of the United States says the proposed legislation only effects people who have been fighting the roosters. "We are talking about people breeding and selling birds with the intent to fight," says Mindy Gilbert.
Lawmakers will return to Montgomery Tuesday to begin the 2009 legislative session.
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