Crackdown on Cock Fighting

TYLER — Child Protective Services tells our news partner KETK that there were three children at a Smith County cockfighting ring bust Friday night. According to CPS, a 16 year old, 12 year old and 7 year old were watching and betting on the fights. The children’s mothers were notified when CPS arrived on scene, along with SWAT and SPCA officials, and CPS placed them back in their homes. CPS says the children’s mothers did not know where their kids were at the time, and that their investigation into the case continues.

After the bust, which lasted until nearly daylight Saturday morning, no one was arrested on Primera Road near Tyler. Many are looking for a crackdown on the bloody sport. Deborah Dobbs with the SPCA of East Texas says when she walked up after SWAT had secured the location, she saw 20 Hispanic males kneeling at gunpoint. Then, she saw the bloody aftermath of cockfighting. She also says CPS was there speaking with 2 small children – apparently proud to be gambling on the birds. The Humane Society of the United States has been investigating cockfights in East Texas for over a year. Dobbs says even prostitution is a problem at these events. 44 roosters were seized Friday night. 6 had to be put down immediately because of severe injuries. And now the rest are at the East Texas fairgrounds waiting on the courts to decide their fate.

“These animals cannot be re-domesticated back into a farm setting. So the tragedy for me is that they will probably all likely have to be destroyed…and no one was arrested,” Dobbs said.

The Humane Society of the United States is supporting a bill that would crack down on cockfighting in Texas. If legislation like that had been in place Friday night, Dobbs said everyone present would have been arrested.