Cockfighting suspected
Salt Lake City, UT (US)

Incident Date: Thursday, Apr 13, 2006
County: Salt Lake

Disposition: Not Charged

Abuser names unreleased

On April 13, Salt Lake City firefighters responding to a train-sparked grass fire near 300 South and Redwood Road spotted a man feeding roosters in a small structure nearby. When the firefighters tried to approach him, he ran off.

"We got an anonymous call from a pay phone," said Temma Martin with Salt Lake County Animal Services. "He said the owner of the birds lives in Wyoming and isn't coming back so we might as well pick them up."

The property owner didn't know there were chickens there, she said.

Salt Lake County Animal Services said it is possible the birds were being bred for cockfighting, although there was no other evidence of the blood sport. Neighbors of the chicken coop described a man who would come and feed the birds like clockwork.

"I just seen him come feed them all the time," said Scott Taylor. "I never did see him fight them. I asked him and he said he was just going to raise and sell them."

The Humane Society of Utah believes cockfighting goes on almost every weekend in the state.

"It gives some people an outlet for gambling," said John Paul Fox, chief investigator for the animal welfare group. "Sometimes there's drugs used in the place of betting. It's quite common."

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