(Beth Clifton collage)
“Parasites will be parasites.”
Everyone at Showing Animals Respect & Kindness [SHARK] and the Humane Farming Association knew it would happen, because parasites will be parasites.
It wasn’t a matter of “if,” it was just a matter of “when,” and “when” did not take long. But even though it was anticipated, when it happened it was a pisser.
On February 25, 2022, federal agents supported by Kentucky State Police, swooped in on a cockfighting pit near Whitesburg, Kentucky. It was a major bust, including upward of a hundred law enforcement personnel and dozens of vehicles, including a mobile command post, at least one armored vehicle, and a helicopter.
(See FBI raids alleged Kentucky cockpit; 31 cockfighters “disappear” in Philippines.)
(Beth Clifton collage)
Something to celebrate
Within days the feds put out a media release announcing 17 indictments, and it is believed there are more to come. There is no question that this action by the federal government will have a serious effect on cockfighting in Kentucky and well beyond. That is something for all animal protectors to celebrate.
(See Feds indict 13 Kentucky cockfighters flushed out by SHARK; more busts likely, and Alleged cockfighter indicted for bribery in Kentucky, others named.)
Scene of the Whitesburg raid on an alleged cockpit.
Provided info on Whitesburg to the feds
SHARK, with financial assistance from the Humane Farming Association, has been fighting cockfights across the U.S. for the past few years. Nowhere have we fought harder than Kentucky.
Months before the Whitesburg bust, we were inside the Whitesburg pit, recording undercover video documentation. We provided information about Whitesburg to federal authorities in advance of their raid, a fact not previously disclosed either to ANIMALS 24-7 or anyone else, to protect our people and federal investigators and witnesses.
Steve Hindi’s head injuries, inflicted by alleged cockfighters on January 3, 2021 near Waterloo, Ohio.
Undercover video gained at great risk
SHARK has shut down a number of cockfight pits in Kentucky, as well as in Ohio, Oklahoma and elsewhere. We have recorded a lot of video undercover, at great risk. We have used our drones across the country to document cockfight locations that cannot be seen any other way. We have been threatened, attacked, and beaten.
(See Perp gets 4 to 6 years for assaulting SHARK investigator; another to be tried.)
Wayne Pacelle with rubber chickens. Yes, they are vegan.
(Beth Clifton collage)
Never once did we see Wayne Pacelle
Never once did we see Wayne Pacelle anywhere in that very real world. Nevertheless, in response to the major Kentucky bust, Pacelle and his new organization, Animal Wellness, are now crowing in a national distributed appeal, “Animal Wellness Dismantling U.S. Cockfighting Industry.”
No, Wayne, you are not. Animal Wellness is not. And you never will, because doing so would require you to leave the safe, comfortable confines of your condo.
Meanwhile, I have lost track of how many dozens of trips the SHARK team has made to Kentucky, not to mention Alabama, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, California and other areas of the country where we have infiltrated and investigated cockpits. I cannot begin to estimate the number of terabytes of undercover video we have recorded, or how many hundreds of thousands of dollars we have spent in our efforts.
(Beth Clifton collage)
HSUS, PETA, & the ASPCA
I have spoken out before about credit stealing in the animal protection industry. Pacelle is a real pro at it, along with his former employer, the Humane Society of the U.S. [HSUS] , and other groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals [PETA] and the American SPCA [ASPCA].
Just ask Wayne and HSUS about their fake rodeo campaign, in response to SHARK getting national attention on that issue. Or ask PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk about their fake drone fleet, announced with great fanfare after SHARK put a real drone operation together and got some attention.
And don’t even get me going on the ASPCA.
(See CBS News affirms ANIMALS 24-7 exposés of ASPCA fundraising.)
(Beth Clifton collage)
“Big noisy groups have scammed clueless donors again”
Why does it matter? These profiteers will reap financial support by credit stealing. That’s why they do it. As a result, smaller organizations such as SHARK and the Humane Farming Association will have even less money to do the very real work, because big, noisy groups have scammed clueless donors, again.
In more than three decades of animal protection work, I have never been paid so much as a penny, so it’s not a potential loss of income that ticks me off. I have willingly donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to animal protection, and not just to SHARK.
(Beth Clifton collage)
Credit stealing matters
When I was young and stupid, I was even a substantial donor to HSUS, PETA, the ASPCA (like I said, young and stupid) and many others.
If only I knew then what I know now.
Credit stealing matters because less money to the groups that are doing the real work means less work done for animals. We can’t go where we need to go, and do what we need to do, if we don’t have money. If the people doing the real work don’t have money to fuel their efforts, animals suffer and die. It’s as simple as that.
(See Big group bullies––like PETA––are stealing the animals’ lunch.)
Alex Pacheco raids the cookie jaw.
(Beth Clifton collage)
Hands in the cookie jar
Because animal protection today is far more a profit-making industry than an altruistic movement, credit stealing is as common as PETA cofounder Alex Pacheco’s mailers hawking his fictitious sterilization cookies.
The fact that this kind of bad behavior is not just tolerated, but is accepted as the norm says much about the industry, none of it good.
(See “600 Million” reasons to toss Alex Pacheco’s alleged spay/neuter cookies, Pseudo-science & the Alex Pacheco “Spay & Neuter” Cookie, Alex Pacheco of “600 Million” says he was gunner on a boat with no guns, Steve Hindi & SHARK up the ante & call Alex Pacheco’s bluff, Alex Pacheco serves stale “Spay & Neuter Cookies” again for Christmas, Spay/neuter popcorn? It’s as real as Alex Pacheco’s s/n cookies! and FDA verdict on Mifrepristone upstages more nonsense from Alex Pacheco)
(Beth Clifton collage)
When do you want to leave the pool?
Certainly not everyone in animal protection is bad. Far from it. There are plenty of heroes.
But ask yourself this: how many turds does it take in a swimming pool before you want to get out?
How many thieves do we need in animal protection to ruin our credibility, and persuade people that we are not to be trusted?
If animal protectors (the real ones) ever want to be taken seriously, and have the impact we potentially could and should have in society, we need to call out the laziness, the incompetence, and especially the fraudsters.
(Beth & Merritt Clifton)
Until that happens, their stench will continue to taint all of us, and the animals will continue to pay the price for the “movement”’s collective spinelessness.
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And the fakers continue to get rich in Canada claiming to be saving orcas and others, while Lifeforce truly has fought for their rights for over 40 years!
And now all the new scams. Before people donate, check the truth!!!
Echoing Peter Hamilton’s suggestion and thanking you both, and everyone involved, for doing your utmost to try to inform and educate. Sharing to socials, with that intent as well. That acronymic organization that claims to be “ethical” is now appealing for money for the beleaguered animals of Ukraine. We know there is no depth to which they will not go; unfortunately, many over there do not.
It seems to be a sad fact of life no matter the issue progress is made by small groups of determined, hard working volunteers and credit is taken by “professional activists” from large well funded non profits. The large non profits are worse than useless becase they consume resources that could be put to better use by motivated volunteers.
As the quote says “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.”