Southern California county animal workers euthanized 152 cockfighting roosters at a home near Desert Hot Springs on Tuesday. [Desert Sun]
Police arrived at the home while investigating gunshots in the area and found the roosters, which were used for illegal cockfights. Riverside County Animal Services workers then euthanized the birds at the property.
Animal Services policy prohibits adopting out cockfighting roosters. The birds are worth hundreds of dollars and would likely be sold for illegal fights, according to the agency.
After the owner of the roosters turned over his birds, police arrested him and the U.S. Border Patrol deported him.
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s deputies have busted several large cockfighting operations in Nipomo in recent years. In March 2013, deputies confiscated 233 roosters at a Nipomo location.
In 2010, deputies found 600 roosters at a Nipomo property, and in 2009, they found a Nipomo ring with 1,216 birds.
