Animal Cruelty and Fighting Victories

	©iStockphoto
	The HSUS is often the first line of defense for animals who would otherwise suffer or die at the hands of humans.

Working in public policy, legislation, law enforcement, public education and grassroots activism, the Animal Cruelty and Fighting Campaign has rescued animals from abuse nationwide, brought animal abusers to justice and shut down major animal fighting operations.

Some of our recent successes include:

• Persuading Nike to stop sponsoring Michael Vick and selling Vick-branded merchandise.
• Passage of the federal Animal Fighting Enforcement Prohibition Act, creating felony-level penalties for animal fighting crimes.
• Helping with a massive bust of dogfighting operations in eight locations in Ohio.
• Passing legislation in Hawaii making it the 43rd state to enact a felony animal cruelty law.
• Passing laws making New Mexico and Louisiana the 49th and 50th states, respectively, to ban cockfighting.
• Stopping the shipment of fighting birds to Guam and the Philippines.
• Helping to ban hog-dog fighting in Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina.
• Busting one of the nation's largest illegal cockfighting rings, working with Tennessee state law enforcement.
• Working with the USDA and major airlines to stop the commercial shipment of fighting birds from the United States to Guam.
• Influencing the passage of legislation in Washington making being a spectator at a dogfighting event a felony offense.
• Closing one of the nation's three largest hog-dog fighting pens..

Posted Aug. 6, 2007.