Six people in Rhode Island and Massachusetts were arrested by federal agents as part of a crackdown on cockfighting rings that put razor-sharp blades on roosters for deadly battles. Since January, 45 people have been charged with running fights in California, Rhode Island, and Washington State, mostly violating the Animal Fighting Prohibition Act. Miguel Delgado from Providence hosted cockfights with armed roosters and other men who procured weapons for the birds. If convicted, the defendants could face up to five years in prison.
Cockfighting is a practice where trained gamecocks are pitted against each other in a fight to the death for entertainment and gambling. Even if birds don’t die, they are still subjected to cruel treatment, such as injections and isolation. Motivated by money and gambling, cockfighting rings have been linked to international drug cartels.
Animal welfare groups advocate for stricter laws to outlaw cockfighting, as it is illegal in every state but still prevalent. The Humane Society calls for tougher punishment and the passage of the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking Act, which aims to crack down on the global business of cockfighting. The bill, introduced in Congress in April and May 2023, would ban online gambling on animal fights, allow seizure of property used for fighting, and enable civil lawsuits against perpetrators.
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