Six individuals were taken into custody by federal agents in Rhode Island and Massachusetts as part of a nationwide crackdown on cockfighting operations that involve attaching sharp blades to roosters for deadly competitions.

Since January, a total of forty-five individuals have been indicted by grand juries for orchestrating cockfights in California, Rhode Island, and Washington State, as reported by the Justice Department. Most investigations are focused on breaches of the Animal Fighting Prohibition Act, which allows prosecutors to impose tougher penalties.

“It is a federal offense to exhibit or promote an animal in a fight, attend as a spectator, or bring a child under 16 to any animal fighting event,” stated the DOJ’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “It is also illegal to own, buy, sell, transport, deliver, or train an animal for fighting.”

A man from Rhode Island is accused of conducting and organizing a series of cockfighting events out of his Providence residence in 2022, alongside five other co-conspirators, as highlighted by the Justice Department on Tuesday. Federal prosecutors claim that two of the men had been keeping roosters specifically for fighting since 2021, while others provided weapons for the birds.

DOJ Takes Hundreds of Birds from Fighting Events

According to court documents, Miguel Delgado organized fights at his home in Providence during February and March of 2022. Prosecutors asserted he sponsored birds and engaged in the purchase and sale of gaffs — sharp steel blades used in cockfighting.

The group allegedly acquired roosters and gaffs intended for use in the fights hosted at Delgado’s home. However, court records did not detail the specific roles of the six men or whether they profited from the events.

Cockfighting entails attaching a weapon, like a knife or gaff, to the leg of a “gamecock” or rooster and placing it close to another armed rooster, according to federal prosecutors.

“The resulting fight sees the roosters flapping their wings and jumping while injuring each other with the weapons attached to their legs,” explained federal attorneys in Rhode Island. The fights end when one rooster dies or is no longer willing to fight, often resulting in serious injuries or death for one or both birds.

All six men involved in the Rhode Island case entered not guilty pleas on Wednesday, as per court records. If found guilty, they could face a maximum of five years in prison.

In August, the Justice Department filed charges against five individuals in California for organizing cockfighting events in San Bernardino County that attracted up to 100 spectators and included betting.

In April, thirty-four individuals were charged across six separate cases for running rooster fights in Washington State. These cases stemmed from a 2018 probe into the La Nuestra Familia gang within the prison system. Hundreds of roosters were confiscated and taken to the Heartwood Haven Animal Rescue in Roy, Washington.

Calls for Stronger Animal Protection Laws

Cockfighting is a long-standing practice where specially bred birds known as gamecocks are placed in an enclosed space to fight primarily for gambling and entertainment, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

Even if a bird survives a fight, the Humane Society noted that they still suffer significantly. Many of these birds live in captivity, often tethered to an object.

“They are frequently injected with steroids and performance-enhancing drugs and are isolated in small dark boxes for weeks before a fight to hinder their natural behaviors,” reported the Humane Society on its site.

The Humane Society asserts that the driving forces behind cockfighting rings are greed and gambling. Federal investigations have linked these activities to international drug trafficking organizations that use such operations to distribute narcotics within the U.S.

Cockfighting is outlawed in every state, but the organization advocates for more rigorous measures. The Humane Society is lobbying for tougher laws in eleven states—Alabama, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Utah—to prohibit the ownership, breeding, or sale of birds used for fighting.

The issue of cockfighting is not unique to the U.S., as noted by Wayne Pacelle, founder of the Animal Wellness Action advocacy group. He highlighted that the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking Act could potentially eliminate the global operations associated with cockfighting.

This legislation, if passed, would outlaw online betting on animal fights, allow the confiscation of properties used for animal fighting, prevent the mailing of fighting roosters, and enable civil lawsuits against participants in such fights when government responses are inadequate.

U.S. Representatives Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska, and Andrea Salinas, a Democrat from Oregon, introduced this bill in the House in April 2023. Meanwhile, Senators Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, and John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, brought it to the Senate in May 2023.

For more information, contact reporter Krystal Nurse   on X, formerly Twitter,@KrystalRNurse.