Animal fighting legislation takes center stage at House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing today
Humane Society of the United States Chief Wayne Pacelle to Testify

WASHINGTON (May 18, 2006) - Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest animal protection organization, will testify today before the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security to urge lawmakers to swiftly approve legislation that will give law enforcement greater power to crack down on illegal animal fighting. 

   Mr. Pacelle will underscore the need for the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, H.R. 817, with evidence that animal fighting is not only cruel and barbaric, but regularly associated with other crimes such as illegal gambling, drug dealing, public corruption, and human violence. In 2006, five people have been killed in incidents associated with animal fights, including a double homicide in Starr County, Texas this month. 

   Dog fighting, hog-dog fighting and cockfighting are well-organized criminal enterprises. Tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes hundreds of thousands, are wagered at a single animal fighting event, and current misdemeanor penalties do not provide a sufficient deterrent to people raking in this much money.

   "If we are serious as a society about stamping out animal cruelty, we begin that process by shutting down staged animal fights," states Pacelle. "Congress should slam the door on barbaric dogfights, cockfights, and hog-dog fights by passing the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act at its earliest opportunity."