Case Details

Cockfighting - 250 birds seized
Miami, FL (US)

Incident Date: Friday, Jun 16, 2006
County: Miami-Dade
Local Map: available
Disposition: Alleged

Abuser names unreleased

Case ID: 9012
Classification: Fighting
Animal: chicken
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Miami-Dade Animal Services Department officers are euthanizing 250 gamecocks after discovering a training ring where the birds sparred in Southwest Miami-Dade.

Police arrested an unnamed man at a home at 12090 SW 46th St. and charged him with animal cruelty and other charges, said Robert Santos, assistant director of the county's Animal Services Department.

On June 16, animal service investigators were at the home, where the night before they had discovered the 35- to 40-foot training ring, the gamecocks, as well as dead chickens and nonfighting roosters. The gamecocks were kept in ''rudimentary chicken-wire cages'' and there was no food or water for the birds.

Also found: fiberglass spurs, boxing-like boots, and injectable doses of Vitamin B, the last made to toughen the trained-to-kill roosters.

Scott Brown, a Miami-Dade police detective with the South Regional Agricultural Patrol, declined to comment at the scene, citing an ongoing investigation.

Police, however, condemned the cockfighting.

"It is a shame these animals that have been used for fighting have to be euthanized," said Miami-Dade police Cmdr. Linda O'Brien. ``It's unconscionable that people find sport in cockfighting when ultimately the animals are severely injured and suffer.''

Animal services got permission from the state attorney to euthanize the birds, many of which are ''in distress,'' Santos said.

Investigators showed off several roosters -- each bearing signs that they were trained to be fighters. The claws had been cut so fiberglass spurs could be wrapped or glued in their place, investigators said. Also, the feathers had been plucked or shaved to make the birds faster.

''They're expensive birds,'' said Fernando Casadevall, an animal services investigator. Each is valued at a ''few thousand dollars,'' said investigator Sean Gallagher.

Officers also found 'a list of potential owners or investors. More than 10 names, and a list of [the birds'] pedigrees.''

The two-acre property belongs to Eduardo Santos, records show. He is not related to Robert Santos.

Roberto Barrios, 38, who answered the door Friday evening, said Santos was not at home. He said he didn't understand the concerns about the cages. Cockfighting is a popular pastime elsewhere in the hemisphere, he said.

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References

Miami Herald - June 17, 2006

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