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More details have emerged about a British Columbia operation which animal welfare officials are describing as Canada's largest-ever cockfighting ring.
The Surrey ring, raided earlier this week, may have been operating for the past three or four years, officials from the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BCSPCA) told a press conference in Vancouver Friday.
Some of the 1,270 fighting birds found on three separate properties in the Cloverdale area of Surrey were fed steroids and kept in a perpetual state of excitement.
They were kept tethered to barrels and several were suffering from injuries such as infected cuts, missing eyes and head wounds.
The cockfighting ring was busted by a team of RCMP and BCSPCA officials, utilizing search warrants. The searches were carried out over two days, starting Wednesday evening.
They found two fighting pits on two properties, as well as a wide variety of cock fighting paraphernalia, including metal spurs used to slash opponents, score cards, syringes and a feathered mock-up bird on the
end of a stick.
"The most horrific part of the warrant was having to euthanize every single one of the roosters on the property,'' said Shawn Eccles, BCSPCA Chief Animal Prevention Officer. It took 13 hours to complete the process, he said.
The properties are owned by three individuals, who now facing cruelty to animals charges, Eccles said.
The Surrey ring, raided earlier this week, may have been operating for the past three or four years, officials from the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BCSPCA) told a press conference in Vancouver Friday.
Some of the 1,270 fighting birds found on three separate properties in the Cloverdale area of Surrey were fed steroids and kept in a perpetual state of excitement.
They were kept tethered to barrels and several were suffering from injuries such as infected cuts, missing eyes and head wounds.
The cockfighting ring was busted by a team of RCMP and BCSPCA officials, utilizing search warrants. The searches were carried out over two days, starting Wednesday evening.
They found two fighting pits on two properties, as well as a wide variety of cock fighting paraphernalia, including metal spurs used to slash opponents, score cards, syringes and a feathered mock-up bird on the
end of a stick.
"The most horrific part of the warrant was having to euthanize every single one of the roosters on the property,'' said Shawn Eccles, BCSPCA Chief Animal Prevention Officer. It took 13 hours to complete the process, he said.
The properties are owned by three individuals, who now facing cruelty to animals charges, Eccles said.
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