In June 2023, three men were arrested after the trio hit a cow in the road and were found to be in possession of cockfighting paraphernalia. Initially, they were arrested for Owning/Keeping/Possessing/ Training Birds for Fighting. Even though other evidence was allegedly found at the gentlemen’s residence, the charges were reduced. Many residents are concerned that the seriousness of these crimes is not being properly relayed to these criminals with the lesser convictions they are receiving.
Cockfighting involves fitting birds with knifes, razors or curved ice picks (gaffs) on their legs to cause horrific wounds, gouge eyes and potentially puncture lungs during these fights. The birds are injected with drugs to keep their blood clotting and to further stimulate them to endure the death match until the end. Many times, the purpose behind cockfighting is for personal entertainment and illegal gambling.
In the last decade, it is hard to find any case of a cockfighting bust in Oklahoma that does not include other associated crimes such as illegal drugs, weapons, theft, animal cruelty, gambling and more. Oklahoma State Director of Animal Wellness Action, Kevin Chambers, said it is important to make people who run cockfighting rings are brought to justice.
“We applaud the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office for investigating and bringing charges in last year’s cockfighting case”, said Chambers. “Southern Oklahoma remains a hot spot for cockfighting, and we hope that turns around with aggressive enforcement of state and federal laws against animal fighting. Cockfighting is always bound up with other crimes, and when law enforcement breaks up an animal fighting network, it increases safety in our communities.”
Unfortunately, there are cockfighter-friendly legislators, along with other organizations and some known Game Fowl Commissions, who attempt to introduce bills to decriminalize cockfighting.
Some have even went as far as to publicly state that these criminals are being extorted when facing even minimal fines for their crimes. It is not uncommon for illegal cockfighting operations to bring in upwards of $70,000.00ormore.Eachbird potentially sells for $500.00$1,000.00.
The laws of this land should be upheld and if they are not then such fines or potential prison time are options for enforcement of the law. What will it take to get the point across to those criminals who choose to conduct in law breaking activities in Marshall County and in the state of Oklahoma. Not only in cockfighting but in law breaking period.
Oklahoma’s felony-level penalties are in line with cockfighting prohibitions in neighboring states (Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, and Texas). More cockfighters, including illegal immigrants drawn to cockfighting, will stream into the state if the law is weakened. -Animal-WellnessAction.org Cockfighting can also drive up food prices, leaving everyone affected by these crimes. Due to the outbreaks of serious poultry and zoonotic diseases like virulent Newcastle disease (vND) and highly pathogenic avain influenza (HPAI, “bird flu”) viruses. With avian influenza coursing through the United States, there has been depopulation of tens of millions of laying hens and turkeys, with a surge in prices for eggs and meat, with eggs selling for $7.00 or more per dozen. Gamefowl are high-risk disease vectors and reservoirs because they move and are traded more widely than other birds, including in interstate and foreign commerce. They are deliberately mixed under stressful fighting conditions, and are usually housed outdoors under low biosecurity contrasting with commercial poultry. -CenterForAHumaneEconomy. org-