Illegal in 48 states, cockfighting persists in many corners of the country. But The HSUS is working to change that in the field and in state capitals. In recent years we helped launch successful ballot initiatives and secure passage of legislation in Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Oregon to strengthen cockfighting laws, making it a felony in all but California. On Capitol Hill we helped close a loophole in the federal animal fighting law, prohibiting the interstate or foreign commerce in fighting birds—and we're working to upgrade the penalties. We also continue to seek more funds for enforcing the law. Here's an update on our most recent efforts.

Florida. This February we joined with the Indian River County Sheriff's Office and local animal control and humane society personnel to bust one of the nation's largest cockfighting operations. After assisting for more than a year with the investigation, our staff helped organize teams of animal handlers for the two-day raid. We seized more than 1,700 game fowl.

Louisiana. We commissioned a poll this March in one of the two states that allow cockfighting. Asked how they felt about this practice, eight to one of citizens who responded opposed it. Earlier this year state Representative Karen R. Carter (D-93) introduced H.B. 681, a bill to ban cockfighting, and we'll continue our efforts to help ensure its passage into law.

Kentucky. This March we asked you to respond when Toyota on Nicholasville—a car dealership near Lexington—ran an ad in The Feathered Warrior, a cockfighting trade magazine, offering Kentucky United Gamefowl Breeders Association members a discount on purchases—along with a donation for each sale to the cockfighting association. Your response was overwhelming, and the dealership immediately severed ties with the group.

Alabama. We're urging state legislators to strengthen the state's cockfighting laws, which are among the nation's weakest. Under the current law, a cockfight organizer faces a penalty of $20 to $50, with no jail time.

Oklahoma. The state supreme court affirmed the constitutionality of the voter-backed anti-cockfighting ballot initiative we helped launch. Voters approved the measure nearly two years ago, outlawing cockfighting as a felony offense—but cockfighters sued in dozens of district courts in a delaying tactic to block its enforcement in more than two dozen counties.

We'll continue our efforts to rid the nation of this barbaric practice, and we'll keep you informed. For more on cockfighting, visit www.hsus.org/animalfighting. And for more on federal and state bills we're working on, visit www.hsus.org/legislation.