Cockfighting
Nashville, TN (US)Date: Feb 18, 2003
Disposition: Alleged
Abuser names unreleased
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Metro animal cruelty investigators have confiscated dozens of roosters. Now the question is: are the birds involved in an illegal cock fighting organization?
In Tennessee, cock fighting is illegal, but it's an activity that still thrives in secret.
At 10:00 Tuesday morning, investigators with Metro Animal Services raided an out of the way location, confiscating more than three-dozen roosters. Officials here don't know yet if these birds are being raised for the cockfighting industry, but there are some disturbing signs.
"That game cock there is missing his comb and waddle. It could be indicative of the fact he's used as fighting bird."
Investigators told News 2, normal farm roosters have a comb on the top of their heads. It's usually red, but a high percentage of the roosters at the location Tuesday had their combs cut off. In the cock fighting industry, it's common - done to give battling birds less to grab onto.
"These have been sharpened, too." In addition to birds with razor sharp talons, investigators also found discarded syringes and products like "rooster booster."
There was also something else odd there. There was an electric fence around the roosters, powered by an extension cord, which connected to a nearby power pole. Essentially, whoever is operating the rooster farm is also pirating power.
Nashville Electric Service investigators told News 2, there is no record of power being supplied to the property since the early 1980's, but whoever is operating there tapped into an open meter.
The man who owns the property is the man who called investigators. He claimed he hadn't been to the property in awhile, and when he finally stopped by, he claimed he was as surprised as anyone to see roosters everywhere.
Right now, the birds are with Metro Animal Services while the investigation into who was raising them and for what purposes continues. References | WKRN News 2 Nashville |
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