The bird remains a highly visible symbol of the University of South Carolina, one of whose emblems is a rooster wearing death-dealing metal spurs.Īround 1900, gamecock fighting was legal in South Carolina and practiced at the annual State Fair, according to records in the South Caroliniana Library and USC archives. Indeed, records show gamecock fighting was practiced by the state's leading families. American Revolutionary War hero Thomas Sumter was known as the 'Carolina gamecock.'

Moreover, gamecock breeders spend at least $1 million a year on chicken feed and coop equipment, Collins said. Breeders raise them with different colors, but a major part of raising gamecocks is devoted to the breeding of warrior strains of roosters. Cockfighting is educational and contributes to the state's farm economy. 'You can shoot a deer with a bow and arrow, track it for three hours while it dies, and take pictures of it,' said Rauch Wise, a Greenwood lawyer who represents Collins. And, they argue, it's legal to raise falcons and let them hunt kittens and chickens. Hunters kill thousands of deer and other animals each year, often in fenced-in areas. After all, in South Carolina, the chicken industry slaughters millions of chickens each year.

It's hypocritical to single out cockfighting as being brutal. In South Carolina, neither attending nor holding a cockfight is a felony. Gamefowl Association vice president Jimmy Collins of Spartanburg, along with others in the state's little-known gamecock fighting subculture, say their activity is a sport with ancient roots and have refused to cooperate with the ongoing federal grand jury investigation.Īt the federal level, gamecock fighting is a felony violation of the Animal Welfare Act. Gamecock breeders, who will take decades to raise the strongest, most aggressive and quickest birds, think of themselves as akin to horse breeders who try to develop fine racehorses, breeders said. Gamecocks, or roosters, are naturally aggressive birds that will fight and kill other roosters. He estimated that at least 700 South Carolinians raise the kinds of birds that historically have been fighters. Richardson said his group exists to promote the best ways to raise gamecocks. Attorney's Office has subpoenaed its membership list.įederal indictments allege some members of the group attended illegal cockfights.

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