Upcoming cockfights have animal rights group and lawmakers calling foul

New year, new cockfights. That is exactly what's being advertised in this viral graphic for the Dededo Game Club - also known as the Dededo Cockfighting Dome. The flyer is calling all cockers to come out on Jan. 1 for a three cock derby. The flyer touts cockfight action every weekend at the dome - despite a federal law banning cockfighting in the U.S. and its territories.

Activist Wayne Pacelle of the national Animal Wellness Action group has kept a close eye on Guam's cockfighting activity. 

"There's no question that there's a lot of people that recognize cockfighting's been going on a long time, but most people on Guam don't support it they support the federal law," he said. "And I think most people recognize that even if they think cockfighting is OK and they don't like the federal law, that it's the law."

The cockfight calendar shows entry fees and pots totaling hundreds of dollars, not including the side bets which can easily put thousands of dollars up for grabs for cockfight winners. While the Leon Guerrero administration has publicly said enforcement of the federal cockfight ban will have the "lowest priority" for GovGuam, according to the Department of Revenue & Taxation, the regulatory agency has nothing to do with cocking or the cash that comes from it.

DRT Deputy Marie Lizama told KUAM news "under current federal law, cockfighting is illegal. DRT plays no role in regulating this type of gaming activity."

That means GovGuam's general fund doesn't see a single penny benefit from cockfighters' or the dome's earnings.
Sen. Joanne Brown said the Leon Guerrero-Tenorio administration should stop turning a blind eye to fighting birds, saying it has become "right to do the wrong thing."

"There's a whole undercurrent that's going on in this community that's not taxed, I mean cockfight money, drug money, whatever the case may bem it's a whole other economy that's circulating and you don't hear a lot of activity or enforcement action," she said. 

Meanwhile, public safety chair Sen. Pedo Terlaje released a statement criticizing Pacelle's release. Terlaje in the release called Pacelle an "outsider" stating "we have real crimes to deal with and we should not commit any law enforcement resources to appease an outsider who doesn't even recognize our human rights."

"We've seen that public officials in some other parts of the United States have been corrupted by cockfighting," Pacelle said. "It's not necessarily campaign donations, but money on the side and I have no evidence to say that about any politicians on Guam but I've seen it happen before."

Pacelle added that he would be alerting federal authorities about the upcoming cockfights at the dome.