Cockfighting could become felony

BOISE (AP) - Idaho lawmakers could make running a cockfighting operation a felony, two years after passing a similar law against dogfighting.

A bill targeting this blood sport was introduced Thursday in the Senate. Anybody found guilty would face up to five years in prison and $50,000 in fines, if it passes.

Idaho is among 11 states where cockfighting remains a misdemeanor, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

Cockfighting rings, while rare, have been discovered in Idaho, including in a 2008 raid on a dairy farm near Wendell where authorities seized 20 fighting cocks after an anonymous tip.

Sen. Tim Corder, a Mountain Home Republican, worked with the Humane Society and livestock groups on this bill, which also boosts punishment for animal cruelty and torture, while leaving those crimes a misdemeanor.

Normal animal husbandry or slaughter practices are still protected.