North Carolina is known for exporting pork and tobacco.
Now you can add illegal fighting cocks to the list.
An investigation from Animal Wellness Action (or AWA) and Animal Wellness Foundation alleges that North Carolina is the fifth biggest trafficker of illegal fighting birds to the incorporated territory of Guam. The groups claim to have uncovered evidence of more than 500 shipments of the birds from a dozen U.S. states, including Oklahoma, California, Hawaii, and Alabama.
“North Carolina is a hub of the cockfighting trade in the East, with key industry players illegally selling birds to Mexico, Guam, the Philippines, and other far-flung destinations for combat,” AWA President Wayne Pacelle said in a press statement. “Cockfighters are knowingly violating federal laws that forbid these sales of fighting animals.”
Aside from being incredibly cruel, animal fighting has been federally illegal in Guam since 2019, and transporting fighting birds across state lines has been illegal since 2007. Those found guilty of breaking cockfighting laws can face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine per violation.
The investigation claims live birds were sent by more than 60 individuals via the U.S. Postal Service. The animals, which were advertised for sale on social media, were allegedly stuffed in boxes without food or water during transport.
The animal rights organizations believe the trafficking is evidence of a much larger network of domestic cockfighting breeders.
“Shipments to Guam are just indicators of a far larger trade in U.S.-produced fighting birds to other foreign jurisdictions, including Mexico, the Philippines, Vietnam, and other nations where the activity is not uncommon,” according to the press release.
The groups are calling on North Carolina’s U.S. attorneys to investigate the criminal allegations, claiming the cockfighting traffickers “may be reaping hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales of fighting birds.”
Follow Interim Managing Editor Leigh Tauss on Twitter or send an email to ltauss@indyweek.com.
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