Connecticut Catches Cock Fight Fever

(NEWSER) - Police busted 19 men suspected of operating a canary fight ring in Connecticut, reports WFSB TV. Some 150 canaries and saffron finches were confiscated in Shelton. “There were 100 canaries fighting, and they were betting on them 'til they were dead. It’s absolutely shocking,” said a neighbor. Canaries are increasingly being used in illegal fights instead of roosters, said a police official. More»

Victim Jose Luis Ochoa fled, later died from calf wound

(NEWSER) - A recent cockfight in California killed five roosters … and one man. Jose Luis Ochoa, 35, died after being stabbed in the right calf by the blade attached to one of the fighting birds, the Bakersfield Californian reports. Ochoa and others fled after an anonymous caller tipped the sheriff’s office off to the fight. Though Ochoa was later brought to a medical center, a sergeant notes that a major artery could have been severed by the cut: “People have been known to bleed out from those injuries if medical attention is not obtained immediately.” More»

Creatures had to be euthanized due to aggressive nature

(NEWSER) - There are mysterious animal deaths , and then there are just tragic ones. In California, the weekend bust of a cockfighting ring led to the deaths of about 1,000 roosters. The Ventura County Star reports that the roosters had to be euthanized due to their aggressive nature. Two men were arrested on animal cruelty charges; 14 more were nabbed for being spectators. (Click for more on recent animal tragedies .) More»

State is last to ban centuries-old sport; aficionados protest

(NEWSER) - Louisiana became the last state to outlaw cockfighting today, and fans of the activity are mourning the loss of what they see as a cultural pastime, reports the Washington Post. Animal rights supporters praise the crackdown, but cockfight enthusiasts say the law will just push the show underground. Says one cockfighter: "We ain't barbaric and we ain't hurting nobody." More»

Leonard Gallo 'did not follow' national rules: state official

(NEWSER) - The police chief of a Connecticut town has resigned after four officers were indicted by the FBI in a racial-profiling case. East Haven chief Leonard Gallo was an unnamed co-conspirator in the indictment, the Hartford Courant reports. Last week, the governor's criminal policy head condemned Gallo's department for failing to follow civil-rights guidelines in targeting Latinos. "These are best practices nationally," the official said. "What is very clear is that Chief Gallo did not follow these recommendations." More»