Issue Type: Dogfighting

Humane Society International / Latin America

HSI

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica—This month, Humane Society International/Latin America provided advanced training to Costa Rican government authorities and other animal welfare institutions to enhance their capacity to combat illegal dog fighting and cockfighting. The two-day educational session engaged more than 50 representatives from Costa Rican agencies and organizations including, but not limited to, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) and the National Animal Health Service (SENASA).

The training addressed issues such as the link between animal cruelty and human violence; the regulatory framework concerning animal fighting in Costa Rica, and the connection of animal fighting to other illegal activities, such as drug trafficking and organized crime. Other specialized training covered investigative techniques and evidence gathering for cases involving organized dog fights and cockfights.

Andrea Borel, executive director of HSI/Latin America, said: “With this training, we are pleased to empower local authorities to investigate and prosecute these illegal and cruel instances of animal fighting in Costa Rica. Abusing animals for human entertainment has no place in our society.”

Cockfighting is a bloody practice in which two or more birds bred specifically for fighting are placed in a ring or “cockpit” for the sole purpose of fighting for human entertainment and gambling. Dogfighting is also an illegal and extremely cruel activity, in which dogs are bred, conditioned and trained to fight for the same purposes.

These fights usually result in the death of one or both animals involved. Those animals who do not die suffer terribly from their injuries and from not receiving treatment. Dogs are sometimes killed by their owners via the most horrible methods. Both types of animal fights often co-occur with other illegal activities, including drug, arms and human trafficking.

In Costa Rica, the Penal Code (Article 279) punishes, with sentences of three months to one year in prison, anyone who organizes, encourages or carries out fights between animals of any species, without exceptions in the national territory.

ENDS

Media contact: Alejandra Zuniga: 7012-5598; commsLatAm@hsi.org

The course, led by HSI/Mexico, aims to empower and educate first responders and other authorities on animal welfare in cases of cruelty and disaster

Humane Society International / Mexico

HSI

TEPIC, Nayarit—This week, Humane Society International/Mexico conducted a training aimed at strengthening Nayarit’s response to animal cruelty and disaster situations. The event brought together 75 participants from a diverse group, including personnel from 911 emergency services, public prosecutors, municipal and state police, civil protection and firefighters and members of the Nayarit State Commission for the Protection of Fauna.

The comprehensive training covered a spectrum of crucial topics, including receiving reports of animal abuse and how to triage, assessing animal welfare based on the scientific model of the five domains, combatting dogfighting and including pets in disaster prevention plans.

“We want to take this opportunity to extend our congratulations to the General Prosecutor’s Office of Nayarit for the recent establishment of the Specialized Public Prosecutor’s Office for Domestic Animal Abuse Crimes,” said Claudia Edwards, program manager at Humane Society International/Mexico. “We’re grateful to see the prosecutor’s office prioritizing the safety and welfare of animals.”

A small evacuation drill was also carried out by the attendees with the guidance of civil protection and state firefighters.

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Humane Society International / Mexico

HSI

MEXICO CITY—Last month, experts in animal cruelty prevention and response from Humane Society International trained officials with the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection, the Animal Surveillance Brigade, the Mexico City Environmental Attorney’s Office, Quintana Roo, Aguascalientes, and the federal and local Attorney General of Justice, among others. The trainings included topics from the principles of forensics to the search, identification, collection and preservation of evidence.

In recent months, extreme cases of animal cruelty in Mexico are trending upward, with animals killed, tortured and sexually abused by not only adults, but by children and adolescents as well. Cases like these must be treated with the greatest scientific rigor to be investigated and thus, to be able to achieve adequate sentences for the abusers.

“Eliminating violence against animals is integral to creating safer communities,” said Felipe Márquez Muñoz, animal cruelty program manager at Humane Society International/Mexico. “We hope these trainings will encourage more people to report cases of animal cruelty.”

“These types of workshops allow authorities to practice in controlled environments, based on real-world situations to hone their skills and better respond to the terrible cases of cruelty that happen every day,” said Claudia Edwards, program director at HSI/Mexico.

These trainings were in coordination with the Institute of Biodiversity and Protected Natural Areas of the State of Quintana Roo, the Animal Surveillance Brigade and the Mexican Association of Forensic Veterinarians; a total of 136 people attended the trainings across four cities in Mexico.

ENDS

Media contact: Magaly Garibay: (+52 55) 5211 873, ext. 104; mgaribay@idee.agencia  

Humane Society International / Mexico

Meredith Lee/HSI

MEXICO CITY—Humane Society International/Mexico congratulated the LXIV Legislature of the Tlaxcala State Congress members for recognizing and punishing animal abuse as a crime unanimously.

Dr. Claudia Edwards, programs director for HSI/Mexico, said: “We applaud the decision of legislators to combat and punish animal cruelty—in dog fighting in particular—complying with the provisions of article 87 bis 2 of the General Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection.”

This reform to the Penal Code was presented last year by congresswoman Maribel León Cruz and was supported by different animal protection organizations, including Animal Rescue-Legal Defense Tlaxcala and HSI/Mexico, and several local individuals interested in animal welfare. With this decision, Chiapas is now the only federal state without penalties for animal abuse in its state criminal code.

HSI/Mexico has worked with various civil organizations for animal protection and with authorities in various states to assist in legislation to combat and eradicate all forms of animal cruelty.

ENDS

Media contact: Magaly Garibay: 55 5407 0502; mgaribay@idee.agency

Humane Society International / Global

Dog saved from dogfighting operation
Jay Kim/The HSUS

HSI and The Humane Society of the United States offer rewards for information about dogfighting in Costa Rica or the United States. Learn how to spot the signs of dogfighting.

Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, the Tip Line for Complaints Against Dogfighting (8625-6000) allows citizens to send videos, photos and messages by cell phone that will identify people or places involved in dogfighting activities.

Through the tip line, people can report any type of animal fighting activities, contribute to the eradication of breeding facilities, provide information on locations holding illegal fights, and ultimately help dismantle animal fighting rings.

If the information provided is accurate and ultimately leads to the seizure of abused dogs and/or the arrest of those involved animal fights, the informant will receive a reward of up to US $1,500 from HSI/Latin America.

United States

In the United States, The HSUS offers a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in dogfighting. If you have information about illegal animal fighting in your area, you can call HSUS’s animal fighting tip line at 877-TIP-HSUS and your information will be kept confidential. Learn more.

Note: The HSUS also offers a reward for information about cockfighting, and about U.S. puppy mills (for the latter, call 1-877-MILL-TIP).

If you live in the United States, here are more ways to help.

Report it

If you have information about a potentially illegal dogfighting operation, here are the steps to take:

1. Call your local police department or animal control agency. Give them as many details as you can about the suspected animal fighting operation. You do not need to give your name to law enforcement to report your information. You can also call our tip lines.

Note: In order to qualify for the rewards program, this must be an open case. Additionally, law enforcement officers (including ACOs and humane officers) are not eligible for our rewards program.

2. Get a letter from law enforcement. If the suspected animal fighter is convicted, ask the law enforcement agency involved in the case to write a letter to HSI/The HSUS. The letter should state that your tip helped lead to the arrest and prosecution. The letter should be mailed, faxed, or emailed to:

Animal Fighting Reward Program
c/o Adam Parascandola
The Humane Society of the United States
1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20037
Fax: 301-721-6414
aparascandola@humanesociety.org

3. Call us for more information. If you have questions about the reward program, please call us at 202-452-1100.

Spread the word

Order our animal fighting reward posters and display them prominently throughout your community or wherever you suspect illegal animal fighting occurs. To order posters in English (United States tip line), email crueltyresponse@humanesociety.org. For Spanish (Costa Rica tip line), email cdent@hsi.org. You can also download PDFs of our U.S./English and C.R./Spanish posters.

Humane Society International / Global

Dog outside with chain
Larry French/AP Images for The HSUS

What is dogfighting?

Dogfighting is a sadistic “contest” in which two dogs—specifically bred, conditioned, and trained to fight—are placed in a “pit” to fight each other for the spectators’ entertainment and gambling.

Fights average one to two hours, ending when one of the dogs will not or cannot continue. In addition to these organized dogfights, street dogfights are a problem in many urban areas.

How does it cause animal suffering?

The injuries experienced by dogs participating in dogfights are frequently severe, even fatal. Both the winning and losing dogs can suffer severe bruising, deep puncture wounds, and broken bones. Dogs used in these events may die of blood loss, shock, dehydration, exhaustion, or infection hours or even days after the fight. Other animals are often sacrificed as well; dogs who are born “cold,” or won’t fight, are often killed (called culling in the dogfighting world) by brutal methods such as shooting, drowning, beating, electrocution, or even letting other dogs tear them apart.

Are there other concerns?

Yes. Numerous law enforcement raids in countries where it is illegal have unearthed many disturbing facets of this “sport.” Young children are sometimes present at the events, which can promote insensitivity to animal suffering, enthusiasm for violence, and disrespect for the law.

Gambling is the norm at dogfights. Dog owners and spectators wager money on their favorites.

Dogfighting is typically a cluster crime, meaning that dogfighters are often involved in other illicit activates. Illegal firearms, other weapons and drugs are commonly found at dogfights. Homicides and child pornography and abuse are not uncommon in dogfighting.

Why should dogfighters be strongly penalized?

Because dogfighting yields such large profits for participants, minor fines are not a sufficient deterrent. Dogfighters merely absorb them as part of the cost of doing business. The cruelty inherent in dogfighting should be punished by more than a slap on the wrist. Dogfighting is not a spur-of-the-moment act; it is a premeditated and cruel practice.

Those involved in dogfighting go to extensive lengths to avoid detection by law enforcement, so investigations can be difficult, dangerous, and expensive. Law enforcement officials are more inclined to investigate dogfighting if it is considered a serious offense. As more places make dogfighting a significant crime, those remaining locations with low penalties will become magnets for dogfighters.

In the United States, dogfighting is a felony offense in all 50 states, and it is a felony offense under federal law as well. It is banned to some extent in 55 countries around the world.

Should being a spectator also be a crime?

Yes. Spectators provide much of the profit associated with dogfighting. The money generated by admission fees and gambling helps keep this “sport” alive. Because dogfights are illegal and therefore not widely publicized, spectators do not merely happen upon a fight; they seek it out. They are willing participants who support a criminal activity through their paid admission and attendance.

What can I do to help stop dogfighting?

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