Breaking the taboo that surrounds it, The Bahamas Humane Society is waging a national campaign against animal fighting, where dogs and cocks are being trained to fight for sport.
Officials maintain that the practice is prevalent yet hidden and are advocating stiffer penalties as a deterrent.
In the meantime, they have forged an alliance with the Royal Bahamas Police Force as a means of collecting intelligence, identifying the culprits and enforcing the law.
“We know for a fact that there is dog fighting going on,” said Inspector Stephen Turnquest of the Humane Society. “The problem is us being able to find the location in time to raid them and the same as with cock fighting.”
The local campaign coincides with an international effort that involves over 40 other countries around the world.
“Any type of animal fighting you find it’s for bragging rights and for money,” Mr. Turnquest explained. “You find all sorts of unscrupulous characters around those areas, so when you have a dog fight or a cock fight, you need a contingent of different agencies to go in there and raid one of those because you have drug problems, prostitution problems, you have gambling problems and immigration problems.
“It is not really a small thing to deal with.”
There are reports that the clandestine nuisance occurs under the cover of darkness in well guarded, yet thoroughly patronized areas around town.
But the evidence is uncovered in the cold light of day when either the bruised and bloodied animals are brought in to veterinarians for treatment or their badly mutilated remains are dumped.
Bahamas Humane Society Executive Director Kevin Degenhard called the practice cruel, barbaric and illegal.
“It is something that people, unless you are involved in it, you generally don’t know it’s happening,” he said. “It is not always people with pit bulls, even though there is a tendency for young men with pit bulls sometimes to get involved in this activity, though there are people with other dogs as well.”
Currently, a person caught engaging in animal fighting risks being fined. But anti-animal fighting advocates are urging stiffer consequences and are even lobbying for animal welfare to become a part of the Ministry of Education’s syllabus for public schools.
“[Animal fighting] is prevalent because we see the injuries, we see the dumped dead dogs. We get dogs coming into the [Bahamas Humane Society] clinic and we can actually see signs of dog attacks.”
οΎ Their effort is being backed by Humane Society International, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and another animal rights group in the United Kingdom.
One statistician estimates that there is about 70,000 canines on the island of New Providence alone with some 20,000 of them being roaming dogs. It compounds the situation as there is also the worry that dogs who have been trained to fight could attack more docile animals.
“[Animal fighting] is prevalent because we see the injuries, we see the dumped dead dogs. We get dogs coming into the [Bahamas Humane Society] clinic and we can actually see signs of dog attacks.
“Your dogs may be subject to an attack by a game fighting dog because these dogs do attack dogs that are in the streets. If your dog is allowed to roam, there is a very good chance it may get attacked,” Mr. Degenhard said.
Trainers prepare a dog to fight by imposing a cruel regimen on the dog from the beginning of his life. Dog fighters starve the animals in order to make them mean, beat them to make them tough, place heavy chains around their necks to increase muscle mass, and force them to run on treadmills or to endure other exhausting exercise for long periods of time.
Cockfights usually result in the death of one, if not both roosters. Handlers place two roosters in a pit. The roosters have knives or sharp steel projections called gaffs, attached to their legs.
The birds peck and maim one another with their beaks and the weapons. The pit allows roosters no opportunity to escape. Although they have been bred to fight, the animals often become tired, incapable, and suffer severe injuries.
Officials have acknowledged as they seek more information from members of the public that many people fear reprisals.
The campaign to stop animal fighting was launched last week which was also observed as the anniversary of the birthday of Saint Francis, the patron saint of animals.
“We are not tarring everyone with the same brush. We know the majority of people care for their animals. There is a huge number of dogs,” Mr. Degendard said.
By: Tameka Lundy, The Bahama Journal
