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Article: Make blood sports illegal in W.Va.: Animal cruelty shouldn't enjoy legal protection
- Article from:
- Charleston Daily Mail
- Article date:
- February 13, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2003 Charleston Daily Mail. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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TRAVEL through some rural reaches of West Virginia and you will
see an unusual type of animal operation. In a grassy field, there are
rows of neatly organized A-frame huts or small barrels.
Standing beside or perched on top of the huts are crowing,
brightly colored, and confident roosters. Each bird, restrained by a
short tether, is lord of his parcel.
These birds aren't raised for meat or for show, but for combat.
They are fighting cocks.
By all accounts, West Virginia has thriving cockfighting and
dogfighting industries. While the activities are technically illegal,
a network of animal fighters continues to operate thanks to the
state's woefully inadequate animal fighting law.
Current law ...