Cases of organised animal fights up by third, RSPCA says

The RSPCA said it received nearly 600 calls about organised animal fighting last year – up from 450 in 2010. Among these, 23 involved cases in West Yorkshire, 18 in South Yorkshire and 16 in Derbyshire. There were 48 cases reported in the West Midlands.

Chief inspector Ian Briggs, of the RSPCA’s special operations unit which investigates organised animal crime, said: “People look at me with amazement when I tell them about some of the things I’ve seen and heard of when it comes to dog fighting and cock fighting.

“Some people simply can’t believe it still happens, but it does and these new figures show that it is as much a problem now, if not more, than any other point in recent years.

“I’ve been investigating organised animal fighting for more than a decade and it still disgusts me, knowing that there are individuals who continue to take pleasure in watching animals brutally fight each other, often causing horrific and sometimes fatal injuries.

“RSPCA inspectors deal with countless instances of neglect caused by ignorance, but these cases are all about premeditated cruelty. People are deliberately breeding, training and fighting animals for the sole purpose of inflicting suffering.

“The West Midlands and other largely urban areas tend to get most reports but, from our experience, organised animal fighting can happen anywhere, from remote locations to city warehouses.”

Animal fighting and baiting was banned in England by the Cruelty to Animals Act in 1835. It is now covered by new regulations which make it illegal to stage an animal fight, to take part, train animals for fighting, to attend or publicise an animal fight and to possess equipment designed to be used in animal fighting.