Published: June 25, 2008 11:03 am         

Officials oppose animal fighting

State officials and animal rights advocates are increasing efforts to curb animal fighting, urging the public to report incidents and offering rewards for tips.

“Animal fighting is a cruel and violent crime in which the victims have no voice,” said Attorney General Steve Carter in a recent press conference. “We have to have help from the public” in stopping animal fighting.

The Humane Society of the United States will double its reward offered for tips leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in animal fighting, said Anne Sterling, Indiana Humane Society director. That reward has been boosted to $5,000 by national officials.

Sterling said more than 250,000 dogs are used in fights nationwide, but dogs are not the only victims.

Authorities confiscated nearly 200 roosters in January in Ligonier after searching a barn that was a cockfighting site. Cockfighting-related arrests have occurred in LaGrange, Noble and Lake counties.

Ligonier Police Chief Bryan Shearer said the city has an ordinance against harboring roosters there, and if police get a complaint about one, they investigate.

“We’re not experiencing anything in town,” he said, but the raising of chickens and the cockfight events are usually held in the rural areas.

They are not having the events in town, Chief Shearer said this week.

“We had one case over a year ago near Mongo,” said LaGrange County Sheriff Terry Martin. “We get information they are doing it from time to time. When we get tips, we look into it.

“They are such a closed group. Many are Hispanic and it is hard to get into the group,” Sheriff Martin said. “They may hit the area and then go somewhere else” making detection difficult, he explained. The animal fighting is not held on a regularly scheduled basis, he added.

Dogfighting and cockfighting are both Class D felonies in Indiana, punishable by prison sentences of up to three years and a maximum fine of $10,000.