Texas police arrest 169 in cockfight raid [View All]

[StarfarerBill]

Source: Guardian UK

Police in a small Texan town north-west of Fort Worth have raided an illegal cockfight, arresting 169 viewers and cock owners and seizing more than 100 roosters who were being pitted against each other to the death.

As a police helicopter swooped on the fighting pit that had been erected near Poolville in northern Texas, many more spectators scattered and managed to get away. Among those arrested were up to 15 children, some as young as seven, who had been watching with their parents.

Cockfighting has been criminalised in 39 states including Texas, and is a misdemeanour punishable by fines in the remaining 11, but despite these sanctions it continues to flourish.

Supporters say it is a competitive sport that is based on the natural behaviour of roosters. But opponents, led by the Humane Society of the United States, denounce it as cruel and brutal.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/03/texas-police-cockfight-raid-arrests