Authorities Seize 7,000 Birds in Largest Cockfighting Raid in US History
This post is to remember and honor the 7,000 roosters and hens who were seized from cockfighters in Los Angeles County earlier this month and who are now dead.
It is very painful to know that although they were seized, they could not be saved, due to the number of birds and a lack of resources to care for so many at once, many of whom were severely injured or sick or both.
Since it is often assumed that roosters rescued from cockfighting operations are incapable of being rehabilitated, I responded to this article by commenting today:
“Thank you for this heartbreaking article about the cockfighting
seizure and for pointing out that these roosters are punished and
traumatized by their owners into fighting abnormally. It is not true,
however, that such roosters cannot ever be rehabilitated. In fact, many can
be. I know this from my own experience with hens and roosters rescued from
cockfighting raids in Alabama and Mississippi. Other sanctuaries have had
similar success. There is no guarantee, of course, but like children and
others who have experienced a lifetime of abuse, trauma and terror, many
roosters, in the right conditions, can learn to live normally and even
happily.”
— Karen Davis, President, United Poultry Concerns
For more coverage, see: Cockfighting: California seizure 'largest in US history'.
For more about cockfighting, visit United Poultry Concerns: Cockfighting.
Our rooster Mr-Sippi has lived peaceably in our sanctuary ever since he was rescued from a cockfighting raid in Mississippi in January 2009. Fortunately, he was rescued before the cockfighters mutilated his face. Here he is:
Photo of Mr-Sippi by Davida G. Breier, April 14, 2017