Before 2023, roosters didn’t crow much in Dallas. Ordinances banned fowl ownership within city limits, but nowadays, Dallasites across the city rise with the sun and the birds that greet it with their shrill song. It’s easy to ignore the cry. They’re just chickens. But when the neighbors have a flock large enough to feed a small nation, when droves of shady figures arrive at night, it may not be a case of bird enthusiasts saving some money on eggs, but a cockfighting ring. Dallas is a hotbed for them.
Cockfighting busts are far from rare in North Texas, and cracking down on the parties involved has been a large-scale effort from animal rights groups, law enforcement agencies and legislators. Still, cockfighting remains a problem, but activists say they’re witnessing a slow shift and plan on applying more pressure until cockfighting penalties are increased and support for the bloodsport is fully drained.
“[Cockfighters] are now confronting a legal landscape that I’ve worked to build with colleagues over the last 30 years, where cockfighting is a federal felony,” said Wayne Pacelle, CEO of Animal Wellness Action. “It’s a federal felony to possess animals for fighting. It’s a misdemeanor to attend a cockfight. It’s a felony to ship them or transport them anywhere. It’s a felony to ship and make the fighting implements that they attach to the animal’s legs. Oklahoma has a great state law; Texas needs to be improved.”…