SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – Over 60 birds have been seized from a Springfield home following an investigation into alleged cockfighting.

On Wednesday, officers with MSPCA-Angell Law Enforcement and Mass. State Police executed a warrant at a Chapin Street home.  While investigators were at the scene, they reportedly saw dozens of birds living in multiple structures that MSPCA spokesperson Sara-Rose Brenner described as “commonly associated with cockfighting operations.’

MSPCA-Angell Law Enforcement Director Chris Schindler explained in a statement that, in addition to the over 60 birds, they found paraphernalia that was “consistent with the raising and keeping of birds for the purposes of fighting, including sharp objects that are attached to roosters’ legs during fights to inflict more severe injuries.”

After the birds were removed from the property, the MSPCA said that the birds were taken to an undisclosed location where they will be held while court proceedings take place.

Brenner said that Wednesday’s warrant was the first search warrant executed by MSPCA-Angell Law Enforcement related to suspected cockfighting since 2018.  Schindler added, however, that it’s not because because cases of cockfighting aren’t occurring in the Commonwealth.  Rather, he explained, “they’re underground and clandestine, so it’s incredibly challenging for us to find them…We rely on people to recognize the signs that cockfighting may be happening and to contact us so we can handle it.”  The MSPCA noted that large numbers of roosters being housed individually could be an indication of such an operation.

Cockfighting, which is illegal in the United States, forces two birds to fight, often to the death, for gambling and entertainment. Even if birds survive the match, they often suffer severe injuries, such as punctured lungs, evisceration, broken bones, and eye damage.

Wednesday’s search sting ended with at least one arrest related to both narcotics and animal abuse. The penalty for such operations in Massachusetts could lead to significant fines and up to five years in prison.

Anyone with any information related to possible animal cruelty cases is asked to contact MSPCA-Angell Law Enforcement by phone at (617) 522-6008 or (800) 628-5808 or online.

Those who may wish to donate to support MSPCA-Angell Law Enforcement’s work can do so online.

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