Earlier this week we reported that the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) along with several state and county authorities launched a major offensive against operators of hog dog fighting rings.

Today, the HSUS reports success having shut down the nation's largest hog dog fighting operation. According to HSUS:

Beginning early Friday morning (12/17), federal and state authorities, accompanied by members of HSUS' anti-animal fighting task force, raided facilities in Arizona, Alabama, South Carolina, and Georgia. They seized hundreds of animals and arrested several of the fighting ring's organizers on a variety of felony charges, including animal cruelty.

Many of the animals seized during this weekend's raid were severely scarred and injured from the fighting ring. Hogs were found with broken legs and their ears barely attached to their skulls. All of the dogs were found either chained or penned up in squalid conditions.

"The practice of staging fights between pit bulls and captured hogs is illegal under the laws prohibiting animal fighting in South Carolina," said South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster. "Like dog fighting, these activities are barbaric, inhumane, and will be vigorously prosecuted in South Carolina."

For more details about this bust, visit HSUS's website on hog dog fighting.