Who More Than Animal Rights Charities........
.........profit from the pain and suffering of animals.”..........
ENSIGN INTRODUCES BILL TO STOP ANIMAL FIGHTING
"Forcing animals to fight is a cruel, barbaric practice that has no place in
our society. This bill will help end the practice. It will also slow the
spread of diseases,
like
“With this bill, we are taking a significant step toward
ending a practice that maims and kills thousands of dogs and birds every year,”
said Wayne Pacelle, senior vice president of the Humane Society of the
Source: http://ensign.senate.gov/news_office/Press_Releases/2003/032703animal_fighting.htm
........euthanize them...........
Legislature looks at making changes in cockfighting laws
By ROSEANN KEEGAN
Register Staff
Writer
As 13 people await trial for cockfighting charges in
Napa, state legislation is being proposed that would heighten such charges to a
felony.
The bill, S.B.732, increases the penalty for cockfighting from a
misdemeanor to a felony with a penalty of up to three years in prison and a fine
of up to $20,000. A person convicted of a repeat offense would be ineligible for
probation or a conditional or suspended sentence.
The bust of a major
cockfighting ring in Napa "made it more urgent" for Humane Society officials to
back the legislation, said Wayne Pacelle, senior vice president of the
Washington, D.C.-based Humane Society. The bill was introduced by state Sen.
Nell Soto (D-Ontario) last month.
"We knew this was going down (in
Napa)," Pacelle said.
Humane Society officers were on hand Feb. 22, when
a state/county task force raided a Foster Road property and seized 1,546
roosters, fighting paraphernalia and made 15 arrests for possessing or fighting
roosters.
Because the offense is a misdemeanor in California, 13 of those
arrested received a ticket and were released on the scene. Two men were taken to
Napa County jail for immigration violations and later deported to Mexico.
"Given that this is a big profit-making activity for some of these
people, the penalty is the cost of doing business," Pacelle said, adding that
$250,000 in cash was confiscated at a recent bust in San Bernadino in Southern
California. "That's why the penalties have to be stiff in order to be a
deterrent."
Deputy District Attorney Rich Zimmerman said officers
collected enough evidence from the raid to press charges. The 13 men were
arraigned March 21, and will return to court on April 16.
The landscape
of the property has remained virtually unchanged since the two-day raid.
Multi-colored garage doors fence the property and the crows of roosters can be
clearly heard from the street.
The fate of 769 of the birds that are
unclaimed will be decided Tuesday when a Napa judge hears the district
attorney's request to euthanize them. Humane Society officials have said they
support the request because roosters raised for fighting are unadoptable.
The remainder of the roosters have been claimed, but are now considered
evidence. Because of the sheer number of birds, they have been tagged and remain
on the property, rather than taken to another location. The birds' owners are
obligated to care for them. Animal control and sheriff's deputies check on the
roosters two times a day, according to sheriff's Capt. Mike Loughran.
The
district attorney's office is still investigating whether charges will be filed
against property owner Stephen Camden, who maintains a law practice in
Vallejo.
Under the current state law, it's a misdemeanor to aid, abet or
be present at a cockfight; to own, possess, keep or train any rooster with the
intent that it be used for fighting; or to manufacture, buy, sell or posses
fighting implements, including the razor-sharp gaffs that are attached to the
roosters' feet as they enter the ring. Under the proposed law, these offenses
could also be considered felonies.
The trick is proving the crime,
Loughran said.
"I think what's difficult is the burden of proof is
difficult to obtain and the Foster Road (operation) is a perfect example,"
Loughran said. "The community knows it's there, we all know what they're being
used for. The frustrating part of this for law enforcement is getting the
necessary proof. That's what took us six months to prove."
Roseann
Keegan can be reached at 256-2220 or rlanglois@napanews.com
It was a ghastly scene if you were an animal lover. But for the hundred-odd crowd that had gathered for an adrenaline pumping show, nothing could be more exciting than the blood splattered bodies of 'Hercules' and 'Indur'. Two valiant warriors both looking for a knock-out blow.
"Hercules has a straightforward attacking approach while Indur (rat) defends himself by lowering his neck," a tense Hassan was explaining why the cocks were given such names while the two roosters fought like hell inside their 'arena' at the Karwan Bazar Kitchen Market on the occasion of the Independence Day.
"These fighting cocks get these titles for their combat techniques. These are not ordinary cocks, they are born fighters. They start fighting from the age of one or two months," continued Hassan, owner of Hercules, an 'Aslee' cock.
The Aslee (the real one) are the fighting breed and they have a pretty impressive tradition and history. The 'Shoukhin Aslee Morog Unyayan Shangstha' was established way back in 1972 in Dhaka with 30 members and it has developed into a highly organised group.
The organisation boasts members from all sections of the civic society. Since 1988, it has arranged fights every Friday after the Juma prayers at Karwan Bazar. Fights also take place on National Days.
So what is it that draws the people of this city to this rather unconventional form of entertainment?
"I've been fond of cockfight since my boyhood. The different battle strategies of the roosters are really exciting. Eventually you get addicted to it," said an Aslee owner Md. Mahbub.
The rich history and the originality of the breed also make it special. "The Aslee have existed in the sub-continent for about 2500 years, hence the name," claimed Md. Alauddin, former secretary of Shoukhin Aslee Morog Unnayan Sangstha.
An Aslee has a life span of around eight years and the are at the peak of their fighting prowess at five or six.
Cockfight championships are held every alternate year. A total of 20 Aslees compete in a six-month long tournament within a knockout format.
Wearing specially designed protective caps on their feet, the cocks attack each other mostly with flying kicks and bloodthirsty pecking and continues to do so until one of them is forced into submission. A bout usually lasts for three to four hours and at the end of it, the majestic looking roosters resemble a bruised and battered wreck.
After a fight is over the winner gets at least three week's rest before his next bout. The time an Aslee needs to recover from the rigors of a fight is one of the main reasons for the tournament to span over six months.
"The cocks need antibiotics and antiseptic cream for their injuries. They need nutritious food like egg, milk etc. just like any sportsman. We also need to be careful of what we are feeding them as rich food can cause heart attacks in some of them and many have actually died of heart problems," said Shamsul Azam, a pathologist and an owner of an Aslee. "You got to remember, these are precious animals," he added.
Indeed. The price of these fighting cocks ranges from Taka two thousand to twenty thousand-plus depending on their fighting skills. Recently an Aslee, curiously named 'Sharbanash', was sold to a person from Sylhet for twenty five thousand Taka!
But price or the allegations of illegal betting are pushed to the back seat on fight-day as unmistakable thrill take center stage.
As an ecstatic Hassan left the scene with Hercules, who had just knocked the living daylight out of Indur, to a hero's ovation, it became clear why cock-fighting had enthralled generations and will continue to do so in years to come.
Source: http://www.dailystarnews.com/200304/02/n3040206.htm#BODY3