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Police: Evidence Details Illegal Cockfighting

17 Roosters, 15 Hens Seized From Home

POSTED: 3:11 pm EDT August 16, 2007
UPDATED: 5:52 pm EDT August 16, 2007

Police are investigating an alleged illegal cockfighting operation in Bloomfield.

During a search of a home on Sandra Drive on Thursday, police said 17 injured roosters and 15 hens were seized, according to police.

Police said journals on cockfighting, animal antibiotics, grooming supplies, gaffs and other medications were seized. Gaffs are sharpened devices that are attached to the legs of roosters while fighting.

Police said the bulk of the gamecocks, as fighting roosters are called, were kept in the home's garage.

The animals were removed from the home after Animal Control Officer Christine Sparks said she heard a rooster crowing at the home a few days earlier and investigated further.

"This is a beautiful bird," said Sparks. "The idea of turning this bird into a killing machine is sickening and barbaric."

Sparks said that many of the birds show signs of being used in cockfights, where birds fight to the death while owners and others bet on who is going to win.

The birds are currently at animal shelters across the state.

Police said that while they do not believe that the actual cockfighting took place in the Bloomfield neighborhood, they said they believe the birds were bred there.

Video obtained during the search may lead to arrests, some of which may be across state lines, according to police.

While no arrests have been made, police said they expect that further investigation might result in one or more arrests.

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