Cockfighting - 214 birds seized Lantana, FL (US) Incident Date: Saturday, Apr 29, 2006 County: Palm Beach Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Alleged: Jose Reyes Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Case ID: 8302 Classification: Fighting Animal: chicken View more cases in FL (US) Login to Watch this Case

Police have broken up what they say was a cockfighting ring complete with 214 roosters, performance-enhancing drugs for the birds and spurs and razors that were strapped to their legs to inflict harm on their feathered opponents.

Following an anonymous tip, police responded to the home of Jose Reyes, 32, at 5768 Colbright Rd. in suburban Lantana on Saturday night, April 29, 2006.

They found Reyes and 19 other men in a clearing of a wooded area beyond the backyard. They also saw roosters kept individually in rows of stalls and a 10-foot-square fighting pit, according to a sheriff's report.

Some of the roosters were bleeding from ''punctures and razor slashes,'' said Diane Suave, director of Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control. The roosters had to be destroyed, she said.

''Really, the only recourse we have is humane euthanasia,'' Suave said. ``These birds are bred and trained to fight.''

Reyes was charged with felony cruelty to animals and possession of animals used for fighting. His bond was set at $3,000. He was allowed to keep a pit bull and several hens, because cockfighting laws only apply to male birds, Suave said.

Friends and family said Sunday afternoon that he had been released from jail but was unavailable for comment. The 19 other men were charged with misdemeanors and given notices to appear in court.

Reyes said he has owned the roosters for about a year, according to the sheriff's report. He told deputies he keeps and sells them for food. Ary Castillo, who said she is Reyes' girlfriend, said Reyes didn't lead a cockfighting ring. ''He just raised them to eat them,'' she said. A friend at Reyes' house on Sunday said he had eaten one about once a week. ''Whenever you feel like fresh chicken,'' Castillo said. She said it's common to keep roosters in Reyes' native country, the Dominican Republic.

A man at Reyes' house said he was there when the police came but said they were doing nothing wrong. ''We were just relaxing, having a beer back there,'' he said. But Suave said there is little doubt about what was going on.

In addition to the spurs, razors and stamina-enhancing powders and drugs, scales were found, apparently to weigh the birds before fights, according to the report. Many of the roosters had trimmed feathers. Suave said that is routinely done to fighting roosters to keep them cool as they live in close quarters with many other birds and also to lessen the protection of the feathers during fights and increase the chance for injury. She said cockfighting in South Florida is more common than most people might think. Less than a year ago, she said, 51 people were arrested for cockfighting off Northlake Boulevard.

Suave said it was a sad night as she worked through the wee hours dealing with aftermath of the raid. ''They were very lean, they were very muscular,'' she said. ``The tragedy is, they are very beautiful.''

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References

	Miami Herald - May 1, 2006
	Palm Beach Post

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