Jed Mignano, Cuyahoga County’s chief humane officer, deserves a hearty round of applause for his tireless work to help stop cockfighting [“Chicken Wars,” July 4]. Thanks to Mr. Mignano’s persistence and compassion, fewer animals will suffer and die needlessly.
Cockfighting is a barbaric blood sport that has no place in a civilized society. Unlike boxers — who choose to participate — roosters are not given a choice. They are usually tethered to overturned plastic barrels or small wire cages and pumped full of stimulants and blood-clotting drugs. Many birds have their feathers plucked, and their wattles and/or combs hacked off so other roosters can’t do it in the ring. Because roosters do not have sweat glands, the loss of these body parts deprives them of the ability to cool themselves.
Most cockfighters slice off the birds’ natural spurs so that more deadly weapons can be strapped to their legs. The birds often must duel to the death, and if fighting wanes, handlers often pick the birds up and torment them to reignite the fighting frenzy. Even the winners suffer from broken wings and legs, punctured lungs, severed spinal cords, and gouged-out eyes.
Cockfighting is bad news for both animals and humans. According to the National Chicken Council, cockfighting causes a “continuing hazard for the dissemination of animal diseases.” The chance of a bird-flu pandemic is only increased by cockfighting, which has been tied to at least eight cases of the disease. Illegally transported birds caused an outbreak of Exotic Newcastle disease epidemic in California in 2002.
Heather Moore
Senior Writer
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
This article appears in Jul 4-10, 2007.
The roosters can quit fighting any time they want to. There is no one on Gods Green Earth that can make a chicken fight if they don’t want to. If any one learned how to make a chicken fight they could be richer than winning a large powerball lottery.
In fairness of reporting, the author should have indicated that it was not illegally imported fighting cocks that were reportedly responsible for the NewCastle outbreak in California but exotic fowl. This would have been too fair and would have taken the spotlight off the article on cockfighting. The entire last three paragraphs are totally bunk and contain little factual information. Sounds like old Jed needs something important to do! I will issue a challenge to Ms. Moore……….if the author can make a fighting cock fight when he does not wish to fight, I will donate $1,000 to her worthless cause! I will issue another challenge to Ms. Moore….I will give her either eggs or one day old baby chicks and when they reach maturity if the roosters do not fight to the death with each other without her encouragement I will once again donate to her cause. This should settle the claim of fighting cocks being made to fight. I do not expect her to accept either challenge because it is easier to distort the truth to further one’s cause than to present the facts.
Ms. Moore…..do not take Louis’s challenge, you will loose your money .