Watch this video(WASHINGTON) February 20 – The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) issued an alert today to its members nationwide to help put an end to events in Clarke County, Alabama where penned pigs are attacked by trained dogs. The HSUS is reacting to a recent undercover investigation by NBC affiliate WPMI-TV in Mobile that uncovered “torture and bloodshed” at the events, which are held as family entertainment. To see the WPMI video, click on the "Watch this video" link shown above this story.
Hundreds of people come to Clarke County to attend these events called “hog dog rodeos.” The video obtained by WPMI shows pigs screaming as dogs, mostly pit bulls, maul the trapped animals. In between events, children are shown tackling a pig with a taped snout and evidently suffering from a broken leg. Another rodeo is scheduled for this weekend in Clarke County.
“It is sickening that anyone would consider it entertaining to watch an animal tear at the flesh of another and watch them writhe in pain and suffering,” said Ann Chynoweth, counsel to investigative services for The Humane Society of the United States. “Alabama has many fine traditions, but hog dog rodeos is certainly not one of them. This gruesome display of illegal animal cruelty needs to be stopped with the full force of the law.”
The HSUS is asking its members to contact Clarke County District Attorney Robert D. Keahey to urge him to enforce Alabama law and put an end to the hog dog events. After reviewing videotape of the event, District Attorney Keahey told The HSUS that he believed hog dog rodeos were a violation of Alabama’s animal protection law. He further said he would be working with the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office to put an end to this cruelty.
“We are pleased that the District Attorney’s Office agrees that these events are a violation of Alabama law,” said Wayne Pacelle, senior vice president for The HSUS. “We encourage the citizens of Alabama and people nationwide to call for enforcement of the law and let Clarke County know that these bizarre, brutal events have no place in our communities. We look forward to quick action to put an end to this organized animal cruelty,” he said.
Hog dog events are not limited to Alabama. The HSUS believes they are occurring regularly in most southern states including Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma and Georgia. In 1994, the Florida Attorney General determined that hog dog events were a violation of Florida’s animal fighting and baiting law, but the events still take place illegally in Florida today as evidenced by the recent arrest of a Charlotte County man for animal cruelty that resulted from a hog dog event.
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization with more than eight million members and constituents including 79,190 in Alabama. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals and equine protection, wildlife and habitat protection, animals in research and farm animals and sustainable agriculture. The HSUS protects all animals through legislation, litigation, investigation, education, advocacy and fieldwork. The non-profit organization, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2004, is based in Washington, DC and has 10 regional offices across the country. The HSUS Southeast Regional Office serves Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Mississippi.
Release from: The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
ON THE WEB:
http://hsus.org
