.........Despite the ban, Pacelle said, breeders who claim they are now selling roosters for breeding or show purposes are actually selling battle roosters...........
Does This Statement Exhibit An AR Blood Lust?
As they work, the birds watch silently. But when a Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County door opens or a volunteer steps near them, the cacophony is as powerful as a heavy metal concert.
A little more than a week ago, Indian River County Sheriff's deputies confiscated between 1,500 and 1,600 birds, the culmination of a 15-month investigation. Five Fellsmere men face felony charges of baiting, breeding, training, transporting or possessing roosters to fight.
Half the birds remain at one of the four sites where the fowl were found, under the care of one of the defendants, with a sheriff's deputy present. The other half were transported in pet carriers to the new humane society offices on 77th Street. No one can say yet exactly how many chickens from each of four sites are where.
"The sheer number of animals was huge, and not knowing ahead of time the numbers, we couldn't have people out there building cages and getting ready," said Laura Bevan, director of the Southeast Regional Office of the Humane Society of the United States. She said this confiscation of birds is the largest in the state, possibly the nation.
Indian River County Sheriff Roy Raymond hopes the arrests shut down the cockfighting business in the county. "The message is: 'Get out of business or go to jail,' " he said.
Raymond said some of the cockfights might have been held locally. The roosters are bred for fighting and trained to kill, officials said. Razor-sharp spurs are attached to the bird's legs for a bloody battle that often ends in death or serious injury.
For the local humane society, 800 fowl means more than 250 pounds of chicken feed daily and a scramble by 40 to 50 volunteers to house and care for the aggressive animals until a court order says they can be euthanized.
Joan Carlson, executive director of the local Humane Society, said 16 birds
that were severely malnourished or injured have already been killed.
She estimates the cost to care for the fowl at $30,000 to $50,000, depending
on how long they must be kept. It will also cost about $3 per bird for a
contracted firm to pick up, euthanize and either bury or cremate the animals.
The national Humane Society is expected to help with those costs.
More than half the birds remain on the farm of Charles Buck Raulerson, 51,
who faces charges of raising birds for fighting. He has been ordered to care for
the birds there, and a sheriff's deputy is stationed at the rural site to ensure
that he does.
The roosters can't be eaten because many have been given "rooster booster,"
steroid-type medications to make them larger and meaner. They can't be given to
farmers because the animals have been trained to kill, maim and wound other
birds.
Many roosters had their wattles, combs and spurs cut off. Sheriff's Office
spokesman Detective Joe Flescher said that's because those areas bleed a lot. If
they were left on, the birds could bleed to death during a fight.
Finding chicken feed or chicken wire in Indian River County could be
challenging.
"We bought it out and have to drive to St. Lucie County for more," said Nancy
Benton, director of shelter operations.
The roosters have to be housed separately because they have been trained to
attack and kill other birds. Hens are housed together, most three to a cage.
Many are laying eggs, and several were placed in a retrofitted pigpen at the
shelter.
The cages, in a future fenced horse containment area, are two feet apart so
the birds can't fight.
Paul Dutse of Vero Beach, who has worked at the shelter less than a year,
said he's "never seen anything like this."
He broke up a cock fight earlier this week wearing thick gloves. "One bit me
and refused to let go," he said.
Raymond said it took more than 70 people -- Humane Society officials, deputies, jail inmate trusties, and jail personnel -- to round up and cage the birds taken to the humane society. The cages lined a large flatbed truck.
Each bird had to be documented, photographed twice and seen by a veterinarian. Three local vets agreed to charge by the hour and donate some of their time.
Raymond said it took a long time for two St. Lucie County detectives to infiltrate the alleged cockfighting ring. "It's a very closed, close-knit group," he said.
He said dog fighters should take heed.
"You're next," the sheriff said.
Contact Jump at (772) 388-4888 or ljump@flatoday.net
Sheriff's deputies busted a cockfighting ring southeast of Tucson. The raided home on Old Vail Connection Road Friday night. Investigators say everyone scattered, and there were no arrests, but authorities are trying to figure out who lives in the home..
Deputies found 24 roosters, some just clinging to life. The fighting arena consisted of a concrete pad covered with a tarp.
The roosters are now in the hands of Pima Animal Care. They will be euthanized and tested for disease.
Cockfighting is illegal in Arizona. Voters outlawed the practice in 1997.
Source: http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=1696738&nav=14RTLNhn
Authorities seek help in finding
cockfight organizers
Authorities are looking for tips to help them arrest the individuals allegedly conducting illegal cockfights at a home on East Vail Road.
Authorities took 24 fighting cocks from the home, along with metal spurs associated with the blood sport.
No one has claimed ownership of the birds.
They were impounded by the Pima Animal Care Center and are in medical quarantine to be tested for avian flu and exotic Newcastle disease.
Neighbors in the area reported the activity to the Pima County Sheriff's Office.
When deputies arrived Friday at the home in the 2800 block of East Old Vail Connection Road with a search warrant, the alleged fight organizers and spectators had left.
Anyone with tips for investigators can call 88-CRIME, the anonymous tip line run by the Pima County Attorney's Office.
Cockfighting is illegal in Arizona. Organizing a cockfight is a felony and watching one is a misdemeanor.
A statement issued by the Animal Cruelty Taskforce of Southern Arizona said the birds are believed to have been brought into the United States illegally from Mexico.
Arizona made cockfighting illegal in 1997 by public referendum.
Source: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/breaking/030804cockfight.html