DOYLESTOWN, PA — A 21-year-old Chester County man is facing felony animal fighting charges following the discovery of an alleged large-scale cockfighting operation in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. According to local law enforcement, additional arrests are anticipated. Both state and federal laws categorize cockfighting and related activities as felonies.
Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action, a group spearheading a nationwide campaign against such practices, expressed his condemnation of cockfighting. He described it as a “barbaric and sickening spectator sport” involving the attachment of knives to the animals’ legs for the perverse enjoyment of the bloodshed.
“We applaud the police in Bucks County and the Bucks County SPCA for putting a stop to this spectacle and to bring the alleged perpetrators to justice,” Pacelle said. “Pennsylvania must have a zero-tolerance policy for staged animal fights.”
In the wake of this incident, attention has been drawn to the federal FIGHT Act H.R. 2742/S. 1529. This proposed legislation aims to bolster federal law against animal fighting, supplementing Pennsylvania’s already stringent state law on the issue.
U.S. Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, a Democrat representing Bucks County, was an original cosponsor of the FIGHT Act. U.S. Senators John Fetterman and Bob Casey, both Democrats, have also lent their support to the bill. The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, along with over 45 other Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies, have endorsed the act.
The FIGHT Act, which boasts the backing of 450 endorsing agencies, seeks to enhance existing federal law against dogfighting and cockfighting. If enacted, it would allow private lawsuits against alleged dogfighters and cockfighters, prohibit online gambling on animal fights, permit the criminal forfeiture of equipment and properties used in these alleged crimes, and strengthen prohibitions on shipping fighting roosters through the U.S. mail.
Animal Wellness Action claims that cockfighters annually ship tens of thousands of live roosters for cockfights in boxes through the U.S. mail.
The information is subject to change as the investigation progresses and more details emerge. An arrest or a criminal complaint does not establish guilt. Every suspect, arrestee, or defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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