Baseball greats caught at cockfight

March 1, 2008 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2008:
SANTO DOMINGO, D.R.–Pedro Martinez, a
three-time Cy Young Award winner as the best
pitcher in his league, and Juan Marichal, the
first Latin American player elected to the
National Baseball Hall of Fame, are at the
center of a controversy bringing cockfighting in
the Dominican Republic under probably more
scrutiny and criticism than at any point since it
was introduced by Spanish sailors nearly 500
years ago.
“Martinez and Marichal were shown in a
video posted this week on YouTube releasing
roosters just before they engaged in a fight at
the Coliseo Gallistico de Santo Domingo, in the
country’s capital,” summarized Jorge L. Ortiz of
USA Today on February 7, 2008.
Organized animal advocacy has little
presence in the Dominican Republic, but
Ameri-can denunciations of Martinez and Marichal
were soon quoted by Dominican media that closely
follow the deeds of 99 current Dominican major
leaguers–more than 10% of the major league work
force.

Dogfights in Kabul

January 1, 2008 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, January/February 2008:

A panoramic New York Times photo of a Kabul dogfighting arena
believed to be the largest in Afghan-istan, published on December 8,
2007, showed 367 spectators, 30 dog handlers, and 12 dogs. Kabul
is a city of four million people. If 25% of Kabul dogfighting fans
were present, participation could be estimated as about four people
per 1,000, or 0.4% of the human population.

Indian Supreme Court flipflops on bullfights

January 1, 2008 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, January/February 2008:

NEW DELHI–As many as 400 villages in the
Madurai region of Tamil Nadu held traditional
mass participation bullfights called jallikattu
during the Pongal harvest festival on January 17,
2008, after a three-judge panel of the Supreme
Court of India on January 15 reversed an order
halting jallikattu issued by a two-judge panel of
the Supreme Court just four days earlier.
The original order kept in effect a ban
on jallikattu rendered by the Supreme Court in
July 2007, reversing a verdict by the Madras
High Court that allowed it. The Supreme Court is
to hear an appeal of the July 2007 verdict filed
by the government of Tamil Nadu later in 2008.
Jallikattu was allowed this year under
condition, summarized the Deccan Herald, that
“the authorities shall take all precaution that
the animals are not tortured. There would be no
cruelty on the animals. No liquor, no injury to
any of the bulls.”

RSPCA & the League Against Cruel Sports show U.K. pack hunting ban can be enforced

November 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November/December 2007:

LONDON–Nearly three years after the
Hunting Act 2004 nominally banned fox hunting and
other forms of pursuing wildlife with packs of
dogs, more people are reportedly participating
than before the act took effect. Only one hunt
club has disbanded; two new clubs have formed.
“Half of the 10 prosecutions brought
under the Hunting Act have not even been against
formal fox or stag hunts,” scoffed Daniel Foggo
and Nic North in the November 4, 2007 edition of
The Times of London. “The most recent
conviction, in October, was against a gang
hunting rats. The police have made clear that
they do not see enforcing the hunting ban as a
priority. Most of the cases that have come to
court have been private prosecutions.”
Similar reports appeared a year earlier,
18 months after the passage of the Hunting Act
2004. “The Hunting Act is failing,” alleged Guy
Adams of The Independent. “Last week, The
Independent was invited to follow a typical hunt
in a remote corner of Wales. It killed nine
foxes, almost all by illegal methods; the
previous week’s bag had been 13. Supporters of
field sports believe the Hunting Act 2004 to be
unenforceable, poorly drafted, and riddled with
loopholes. Opponents say it is being ignored by
many of Britain’s 300-odd hunts.”

“Operation Foxote” brings chase pen busts in three states

November 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November/December 2007:
BIRMINGHAM, INDIANAPOLIS, NORFOLK, WASHINGTON D.C.–An
two-year investigation of “chase pen” hunting businesses called
“Operation Foxote” culminated on November 11, 2007 with arrests in
three states.
The Alabama’ Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division,
which initiated Operation Foxote, arrested 18 people and seized 55
foxes, 25 coyotes, two bobcats, and 33 cardinals who were
apparently used as bait to catch foxes and coyotes. The
investigators also found and seized a moonshine still.
All of the confiscated animals were killed “because they
posed a health risk for native species and their survival chances
were slim,” Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
chief of enforcement Allan Andress told Birmingham News staff writer
Mike Bolton.

Atlanta Falcons & pit bull terriers

November 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November/December 2007:
SUSSEX, Virginia–Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael
Vick was on November 27, 2007 scheduled for a jury trial on April 2,
2008 in Surry County Circuit Court for two counts of felony
dogfighting.
The dogfighting charges, brought by the State of Virginia,
are separate from the federal conspiracy charge to which Vick pleaded
guilty on August 27, 2007.
Facing up to five years in prison for the federal conviction,
Vick voluntarily began serving time on November 19, in advance of
his scheduled December 10 sentencing.

Vick case has impact across the U.S.

October 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 2007:
CINCINNATI, NORFOLK, RICHMOND–The National Football League
on September 29, 2007 narrowly avoided embarrassment in yet another
instance of violence against animals when Paul Brown Stadium Limited
withdrew a request to the city of Cincinnati to shoot pigeons prior
to Cincinnati Bengals home games.
Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney had authorized the shooting,
wrote Mark Curnutte of the Cincinnati Inquirer, “but only after
other methods had been tried. PETA representatives jumped on the
issue, urging mayor Mark Mallory to stop any bird killings. They
said they would help stadium officials with ways to get rid of the
pigeons.”
The Cincinnati pigeon issue blew up soon after PETA reaped a
publicity harvest from the aftermath of the plea bargain conviction
of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick for felony conspiracy in
connection with dogfighting.

First conviction in Scotland for badger-baiting

October 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 2007:
EDINBURGH–Craig Morrison, 22, on
October 9, 2007 became the first person to be
convicted of badger baiting in Scotland under the
Protection of Badgers and Protection of Wild
Mammals acts, passed in 2004 and 2002.
Charged with nine offenses on March 29,
2007, Morrison pleaded guilty to three of them
in the Kilmamock Sheriff Court. Sheriff Seith
Ireland deferred sentencing, pending receipt of
witness statements that he said “could make the
difference between a custodial sentence or
community service.”
“Prosecutors requested Morrison’s dogs be
taken from him permanently and an order be made
to ban Morrison from keeping animals. They also
asked the court for Morrison to be liable for the
£3,000 costs of housing the dogs since they were
seized from him in March,” wrote Robert McAulay
of The Scotsman.

Fourteen of 26 defendants are sentenced & lectured in British dogfighting case

September 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2007:

BIRMINGHAM–Four-teen of 26 defendants in
one of the biggest dogfighting cases brought to
British courts in decades pleaded guilty on
September 3, 2007, and were fined from £500 to
£1,300, plus £80 court costs.
The case is unusual in that all 26 men
arrested at the February 2006 dogfight are
Muslims –as is Birmingham Magistrates Court
district judge Kal Qureshi, who lectured the men
about their “sadistic and cruel” behavior.
“The event itself is best described as
sadistic,” Qureshi said. “In my view it
involved inflicting unimaginable pain without any
pity for the animals.”
Qureshi fined them less than the maximum
£2,500 because they were first-time offenders.
Dogfighting in Britain has historically
not involved immigrants and ethnic minorities,
and in recent years has often been a pursuit of
so-called skinheads espousing anti-minority
attitudes.
Twelve defendants elected to go to trial,
including the two men who allegedly organized the
fight. Both dogs involved were killed.

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