LORAIN COUNTY — More than 230 birds were recently seized in northeast Ohio in connection with a cockfighting operation.
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The Friendship Animal Protective League (FAPL) Human Investigations Department and the Lorain County Sheriff’s Department served two search warrants involving cockfighting operations in Sheffield Township on July 3.
“Cockfighting is an illegal bloodsport in which roosters are placed into a fighting ring, known as a pit, from which they cannot escape. The roosters’ legs are equipped with razor-sharp blades commonly called a ‘gaff.’ The roosters then fight until one cannot continue, typically because the bird has suffered a lethal wound. One or both birds often die after a cockfight,” the FAPL said in a release.
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Fighting pins and cockfighting paraphernalia were found during the searches.
The FAPL also said the 239 birds being used were being kept in unsanitary conditions without adequate food and water.
At one location, the cages housing birds had several inches of mud and waste that caked onto their feet, making it difficult for the birds to walk.
“Cockfighting is a brutal and inhumane act,” Gregory Willey, FAPL’s Executive Director, said. “These birds are subjected to extreme suffering for the sake of ‘entertainment’ and profit. We are committed to exposing these operations and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable.”
This marked the fourth time this year that agents have seized roosters related to cockfighting in Lorain County.
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