Illinois Congressman Urges Postal Services To Stop Illegal Shipments Of Animals | Nation

(The central square) – Illinois Congressman calls on the U.S. Postal Service to crack down on illegal animal fighting shipments.

U.S. Representative Mike Quigley, chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, was joined by three dozen other members of Congress in a bid to break cockfighting circles.

Animal Wellness Action has conducted a series of investigations and documented thousands of fighting cocks that are shipped in boxes by the United States Post for fighting purposes each year.

“They spoke very clearly and openly about cockfighting, â€said executive director Marty Irby. “Very proud of their fighting chickens, who talk about their lineage, their value and why they were selling these birds.”

The organization’s latest investigation took them to Guam, but cockfighting on American soil also continues.

Two men from Belvidere, Ill. Were arrested last summer following a two-week cockfight investigation. Police said they seized more than 100 chickens, training parts, logbooks and medicine.

Nearly 2,000 people, some carrying birds, marched to the Capitol in San Juan, Puerto Rico, after President Donald Trump signed a bill banning cockfighting in U.S. territories.

Campaigners also note that cockfighting poses a threat to human health and safety, given the role of the blood sport in the spread of Newcastle disease and bird flu.

“The United States has banned all interstate and foreign transport of animals for combat purposes for almost 20 years, but the problem persists, â€Quigley said. “It’s time for the USPS to treat the illegal shipment of combat animals as a high priority and work to end it once and for all.”