are being drawn into the sick money-making racket, it was claimed last night.

Animal welfare workers said they were becoming increasingly more aware of organised dog scraps taking place on the Island, which can ultimately lead to the death of some animals.

Money changes hands at phenomenal rates, with the owners of successful dogs raking in as much as $3,000 a fight.

And the problem is reaching such an extent that Inspector Charles Whited, of the animal welfare charity the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), has called on Government to put a ban on breeding pit bull terriers, as well as introducing new legislation to prevent new dogs of that breed being brought onto the Island.

Mr. Whited said: "I believe that in the last year dog fighting has increased, to our knowledge, by about 100 percent.

"Whether that's because the public are being more vocal in telling us about it, or because they have actually increased, I don't know.

"But we are also seeing more and more young people, schoolboys aged 13 and 14, owning pit bulls and getting involved.

The SPCA has joined forces with the Police and the Government Dog Warden in being more pro-active in the battle against animal cruelty, including dog fighting.

But unless people are actually caught in the act and probably filmed, there is little they can do. Injuries to an animal alone will not hold up in court.

And Mr. Whited went on to explain the lengths some people go to to train their pit bulls to be successful fighters.

Throwing them in deep water and leaving them to swim for up to 30 minutes is a common training device, along with leaving the dogs to run endlessly on treadmills.

See Feature, Page 7 Dog fights on the rise Mr. Whited said more and more people were calling Police, SPCA or the Dog Warden to pass on information about organised dog fights and, without their help, he said, the fights would go unchallenged.

"We want people to tell us if they hear of a fight taking place or about to happen.

"And they should remember that spectators are as much to blame as the ones who fight their dogs. Without spectators, they would never take place.'' Bermuda's Government Dog Warden Jeffrey Benevides said it was difficult to know whether dog fights had increased or whether young people were less secretive about it.

He said: "It's a lot more in the open now. Young people have brought it right out. We don't know why.'' Dr. Andrew Madeiros, who is a vet and chairman of the SPCA, said he rarely saw dogs that had obviously been in fights.

But he believed dog fights were regularly held and also backed the calls for tighter controls on breeding pit bulls, greater deterrents for animal cruelty and a ban on pit bull imports.

He added that the number of pit bulls on the Island should be reduced. He said that could be achieved if Government enforced its regulations on breeding, which meant only official breeders were allowed to reproduce their animals.