I've read a number of stories lately concerning the avian flu virus being spread thru cockfighting. The logic being that it's an event that is not regulated let alone legal in most places. It surprised me to find out that it is legal in Louisiana and New Mexico. By not being legal or regulated the spread to humans is more likely in this venue than in poultry farms. Consider that while fighting there is a lot of blood, feces and bird's organs getting tossed around an arena.
That said, a cockfighting bill aimed at stemming the spread of bird flu to the United States has stalled despite support from the Bush administration and the poultry industry. The bill would restrict trade from Southeast Asia, where the sport is suspected of spreading the disease from chickens to humans. The bill would increase penalties for transporting the birds across state lines and from other countries. The bill passed the Senate but the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee hasn't brought the bill to a vote.
Jeff Lungren, spokesman for Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) said he thought it was a stretch that the bill would do much to prevent the spread of the disease, even though Agriculture Department officials have made just that case. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns also supported the bill and added that the bill made sense from an "animal welfare standpoint."
Bird flu aside, don't you think banning this 'torture sport' makes sense? I do.
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