Alabama's anti-cockfighting law has not changed for the better since 1896, long before the telephone and the automobile came into common use. The law provides for no jail time, and the maximum fine is $50. That's about as much as keeping your car in a no-parking zone.

This do-nothing law is one reason why there are massive cockfighting operations in the state, selling tens of thousands of birds to other parts of the United States and to foreign nations, primarily Mexico and the Philippines.

Cockfighting is no different from a moral perspective than dogfighting, which now is a felony offense in Alabama.  In cockfighters, handlers attach knives to the birds' legs and the animals suffer gouged eyes, punctured lungs, and grievous wounds, all for illegal gambling and for the thrill of the bloodletting. The widespread movement of cockfighting roosters for fighting derbies is also a threat to American agriculture, spreading Virulent Newcastle disease and other forms of avian influenza. 

Contact your Alabama state legislators and urge them to make it a priority to strengthen the state's 19th-century animal fighting law.  All animal fighting is barbaric and often associated with other criminal behavior.