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Philippine Airlines, Korean Air Lines Shipping Fighting Birds

March 19, 2007

The Animal Welfare Act prohibits shipping fighting birds outside of the United States

By Ariana Huemer

With cockfighting illegal in all but one state and a felony in 33, one might wonder how the industry stays afloat in the United States. The answer, in part, lies in the money to be made by shipping fighting birds to foreign countries.

Every year more than 4,000 adult roosters are shipped from the United States to the Philippines, where cockfighting is popular. Only two airlines—Philippine Airlines and Korean Air Lines—currently ship fighting birds to the Philippines from the United States. Aside from the moral issues involved with shipping animals to meet their deaths in bloody staged battles abroad, there's one other problem: It may be illegal.

Story Update: Victory!

March 23, 2007, Korean Air Lines decided it would no longer ship adult poultry to the Philippines. This is a major blow to the cockfighting industry, as together Korean Air Lines and Philippine Airlines transported more than 4,000 birds to the Philippines every year for the purpose of fighting.

As part of the Animal Welfare Act, Congress passed legislation in 2003 prohibiting the shipment of animals over state lines or out of the country for the purposes of fighting. By shipping fighting cocks from the United States to the Philippines, Philippine Airlines and Korean Air Lines are not only fostering animal cruelty, but they may also be facilitating the violation of federal laws by gamefowl breeders.

By Their Own Admission

Anonymous telephone conversations by HSUS investigators with well-known U.S. gamefowl brokers confirmed shipments of fighting birds to the Philippines. Each of the brokers contacted cited Korean Air Lines and Philippine Airlines as the preferred carriers for fighting birds. Follow-up phone calls to the cargo departments of each of the airlines provided further confirmation. When asked if they would accept "fighting cocks" for shipment to the Philippines from the United States, both airlines responded that they would.

Take Action

Tell your legislators to support the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act.

In November 2006, The HSUS presented evidence to Philippine Airlines that it is responsible for shipping thousands of fighting birds to the Philippines every year. A few months later, in February 2007, The HSUS alerted Korean Air Lines that the export of fighting birds overseas violates the federal Animal Welfare Act. To date, neither airline has responded.

It's Time to Stop

The reluctance of Philippine Airlines and Korean Air Lines to cease the shipments of fighting cocks is perplexing. In 2005, when Continental Airlines was alerted that its shipments of fighting birds to Guam violated federal law, it took action. After receiving information compiled by HSUS investigators, Continental implemented a blanket policy against shipping all adult poultry overseas.

Meanwhile, information provided by the Philippine Bureau of Agricultural Statistics indicates that over a five-year period, 23,681 gamecocks were imported into the Philippines, with approximately 95 percent of these birds coming from the United States.

It's up to the Philippine and Korean airlines to shut the door on the shipment of fighting birds overseas by gamefowl breeders once and for all. Refusing to facilitate the violation of federal law by stopping shipments of fighting birds overseas is a necessary first step.

What You Can Do

Help law enforcement come down hard on animal fighters. Ask your legislators to support the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act.

Ariana Huemer is cruelty case manager for The Humane Society of the United States.

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