Complaints about a skinny horse tied to a tree on a Markham farm visible from Interstate 57 led to the discovery of hundreds of roosters that police said were used for cockfighting.
Two men were charged with misdemeanors after a weeklong investigation into the bloodsport connected to two properties along Sacramento Avenue between 151st and 153rd streets.
Markham animal control officer Tracy Pilarski still had cuts and bruises on her arms Monday from removing the birds.
One rooster, which investigators dubbed "Diablo," tried to take a chunk out of Pilarski's finger when she poked it to see if it was dead.
"These are all defensive wounds," Pilarski said, holding up a bandaged finger.
Responding to what turned out to be unfounded complaints about a malnourished horse, Pilarski and Markham police found a potbellied pig and a dead cow on the property. They also found dozens of roosters � nearly all of them kept in individual cages.
Investigators estimate 300 chickens were kept between the two sites. But in the days it took to complete the investigation, more than 50 of the most valuable birds � some worth as much as $3,000 � were secreted away from the Markham site to locations near Joliet and Kankakee, police officials said. A dozen were later recovered.
About 250 roosters, hens and chicks were impounded and are being held on a south suburban farm.
Markham Deputy Police Chief Terry White said the fighting birds were generally kept in individual cages with swings.
Investigators hope all but a few dozen of the confiscated birds can be rehabilitated and leave their fighting days behind. They are arranged in different areas of the farm based on levels of aggression.
One rooster, still feisty, repeatedly attacked his reflection in the wall of the steel cage. And in another cage, amid a sudden flurry of feathers, one hen knocked out its smaller roommate before triumphantly parading on its limp body.
"See, they still fight," Pilarski said as the unconscious bird was pulled out of the cage and revived. "Even the hens are mean."
Most of the roosters had part of their claws cut short to allow small knives to be attached, making them more lethal in the ring. On other birds, the claw had simply been ground down to a sharp point.
Roosters also had the fleshy crown on top of their heads shaved off in order to offer a small target to competitors.
Investigators also found vials of vitamin B at the site. According to Pilarski, the vitamin injections help the fighting birds maintain weight and boost energy before the death matches begin.
Arrested were Ben Hill, 60, of the 3100 block of West 153rd Street, Markham; and Jose Gallegos, 46, of the 14800 block of Keystone Avenue, Midlothian.
Hill owned the property where some of the birds were kept and was charged with providing a spot to raise animals for the use of prohibited entertainment, authorities said. He also was cited for having a decaying cow carcass on his property.
Gallegos, after claiming he kept the roosters for their eggs, admitted he kept them to fight, authorities said. He was charged with raising animals for prohibited entertainment.
Both men were released on their own recognizance.
Although farm hands told police the cockfights were attended by hundreds, the owner of an adjacent property where the cockfighting ring was allegedly set up denied knowledge of the matches and was not charged. Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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