Twenty-one people were arrested as animal protection officers and police broke up a cockfight in progress in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia overnight Friday.
Officers with the Pennsylvania SPCA seized dozens of birds, the SPCA said. Some were fighting roosters and hens; some were dead. Authorities also found paraphrenalia often used in cockfighting.
Authorities say officers chased down several suspects who tried to flee the scene on foot. Four suspects suffered broken ankles when they tried to climb over a 30-foot wall.
The surviving birds will be assessed by PSPCA vets and kept by the PSPCA until a court rules on their outcome or they can be adopted.
Animal fighting is a felony, and possessing paraphrenalia that is used in animal fighting is a misdemeanor.
“Animal fighting is a brutal crime, one in which the victims, whether they be dogs or, in this case, birds, fight to the death,” said Nicole Wilson, director of humane law enforcement at the Pennsylvania SPCA. “These horrific practices continue to occur in Philadelphia and throughout the state. We hope that by shining a light on this case and bringing the offenders to justice, we can deter the commission of future crimes.”
Philadelphia Police and the SPCA are still investigating. Anyone with information should call the Pennsylvania SPCA’s Cruelty Hotline at (866) 601-SPCA. Tips can be left anonymously.
