Cockfighting - 38 birds seized
Old Bridge, NJ (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Aug 25, 2009
County: Middlesex
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Orphilio Chiavano
An Old Bridge Township man was charged with 114 counts of animal cruelty last week after authorities discovered that his home doubled as an alleged training den for cockfighting.
Cuba-native Orphilio Chiavano, 78, stands accused of possessing and fight training the 38 roosters found in and around his home on Route 9 south, according to the state Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NJSPCA).
NJSPCA spokesman Matt Stanton said that an anonymous resident tipped off the Old Bridge Police Department on the afternoon of Aug. 25, concerned about the numerous roosters on Chiavano's property. Township police immediately notified the NJSPCA and accompanied organization officials to the scene.
"They were all locked in cages, but some were inside, some were outside," Stanton said of the situation.
After surveying the scene, officials arrested Chiavano on 114 counts -- 38 each for possessing, training and selling animals. Each count is the equivalent of a disorderly persons charge and carries penalties of a $1,000 fine and/or six-month jail sentence, and/or 30 days of community service, according to Stanton.
Old Bridge Police Lt. Robert Moser said Chiavano could face up to three years in jail. However, he said the police department has turned the investigation over to the NJSPCA and is only involved with the case peripherally.
Stanton, a seven-year employee of the NJSPCA, said that the organization typically deals with about four or five cases of animal fighting per year.
"In this case, he was more of a trainer than a fighter," he said. "He was getting birds shipped to him, training them and then sending them back out overseas."
Stanton said it is still unclear where the roosters were being brought from and sent to, though he acknowledged it was not within the United States.
"That's the biggest problem," Stanton said. "They could be bringing back all sorts of viruses since these birds aren't being regulated."
The state Department of Agriculture is currently in the process of testing the roosters' blood for the H1N1 virus, avian flu and other diseases. The birds cannot be moved from Chiavano's house until the results are reported.
When those results do come through, Stanton said all 38 would be euthanized.
"These birds are raised from day one to fight. If they're mixed in with other chickens, they'll kill them. They also can't be used for consumption because they're full of steroids," Stanton said. "There's just no life for them."
Chiavano was initially held in lieu of $75,000 bail but has since been released. References |
