Lawmakers in the state of South Carolina are considering a ban on bloodsport fights between hogs and dogs, but an opponent fears it would send the state down the road of banning all animal sports, such as hunting and dog shows.
"They're stamping out rabbit hunting in England," hog-dog supporter John Foley warned a Senate panel on Wednesday, noting the wider efforts of animal-rights activists. He cited specifically Britain's decision last year to outlaw the use of dogs to kill foxes.
But the sponsor of the measure said hog-dog fights have nothing to do with sport and hunting.
"It's nothing but cruelty to animals," said Senator Larry Grooms, a Republican whose bill calls for fines of US$5,000 or up to five years in prison for people who stage or attend hog-dog events.
"These folks aren't a benefit to society when they get perverse pleasure out of watching something like that -- they may well strike out against humans," Grooms said. "They're going to beat their wives. They're going to beat their children."
Grooms said people involved cut the tusks from hogs and leave them with no defense to dogs.
Foley responded that it is common to cut hog tusks so they aren't a threat to handlers. He added that dogs need to be protected while they learn to lawfully hunt the feral hogs that destroy crops and wildlife habitat.
"If you really want to train a dog, don't you want to train the dog in a realistic circumstance with a hog with tusks?" asked Senator John Hawkins, a Republican chairing the panel.
Foley said he wants his son "to be able to ride a bicycle, but I start out with training wheels. I don't throw him out there on a Harley."
Critics of the fights say the ills go beyond cruelty. Oran Smith, president of the Palmetto Family Council, said gambling and drugs are often tied to animal fighting.
"We believe that hog-dog fighting is simply bad for families and doesn't belong in South Carolina," he told the panel.
The US Humane Society, which opposes the fights, says on its Web site that the activity is relatively in common in some southern states and has been around for more than 25 years.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
A prominent Christian leader has allegedly been stabbed at the altar during a Mass yesterday in southwest Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was saying Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley just after 7pm when a man approached him at the altar and allegedly stabbed toward his head multiple times. A live stream of the Mass shows the congregation swarm forward toward Emmanuel before it was cut off. The church leader gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing a large online following, Officers attached to Fairfield City police area command attended a location on Welcome Street, Wakeley following reports a number