New Mexico Cockfighting Raids Make History |
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January 8, 2008
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©Animal Protection of New Mexico |
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APNM's Heather Ferguson removed a rooster from a fight in Dona Ana County. |
By Ariana Huemer
Cockfighting season has begun. Since November, media outlets have reported on dozens of cockfighting raids from coast to coast—the most significant of them in New Mexico.
While cockfighting is nothing new in New Mexico, arrests for cockfighting are—thanks to a newly-enacted state law that makes New Mexico the 49th state to outlaw the bloodsport.
As one of the final states to ban cockfighting completely, New Mexico has its share of holdouts: those who hope to fly under law enforcement's radar.
Fortunately for the animals, staying clear of law enforcement is getting more and more difficult for cockfighters.
A Rash of Raids
On Dec. 9, 2007, the first charges of illegal cockfighting were laid down at a cockfighting pit in Anthony, N.M. There, members of Dona Ana County Sheriff's Department, Dona Ana Animal Control and Animal Protection of New Mexico (APNM) swooped down on a fight in progress. Authorities issued four citations and seized 72 fighting roosters, many of them injured.
At the scene, investigators found a cockfighting pit, cockfighting weapons (knives strapped to fighting birds' legs) and performance-enhancing drugs.
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| ©Animal Protection of New Mexico |
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| One of the injured birds seized in the Dona Ana County raid. |
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Next, on Dec. 22, 2007, The HSUS joined APNM and local law enforcement to interrupt the
Otero Game Club's "Christmas Derby" cockfight. Although several participants fled before law enforcement arrived, officers arrested four people and seized more than 100 fighting birds.
Zero Tolerance
"The law enforcement agencies of New Mexico are sending a message to cockfighters: this new cockfighting ban will be strictly enforced," said Heather Ferguson, APNM's legislative director.
"Those who continue to strap sharp weapons to the heels of roosters and force them to mutilate each other in these barbaric pits for entertainment will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
It's worth noting that the Dona Ana County and Otero County busts were prompted by complaints from neighbors.
As one of the biggest legislative issues in New Mexico this year, cockfighting received wide media coverage, ensuring that everyone—law enforcement and concerned citizens alike—is well aware of its illegality and won't stand for it in their communities.
Crackdown in the Courts
Capping these raids is a Dec. 19 ruling by the New Mexico Fifth Judicial District Court upholding a ban on cockfighting in the state. The ruling overturned a motion filed earlier by the New Mexico Gamefowl Breeders Association that questioned the constitutionality of the cockfighting ban.
"First the cockfighters lost in the legislature, and now they have lost in the courts," said Jonathan Lovvorn, vice president of litigation for The HSUS. "The HSUS will vigorously defend our nation's animal fighting laws wherever these attacks occur."
No matter how tenaciously New Mexico's cockfighting enthusiasts cling to their bloody business, one thing remains clear: cockfighters can cross New Mexico off their map as a safe haven for their barbaric activities.
Ariana Huemer is cruelty case manager for The Humane Society of the United States.
See the Video
HSUS Undercover: Inside Animal Fighting
Related Links
Cockfighting
Cockfighting Fact Sheet
State Cockfighting Laws
Sample Letter to the Editor about Cockfighting
