Cockfighting Fans in La. Say Goodbye

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»

(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»

Police baffled over recent arrests for bloody sport

(NEWSER) - New England is hardly a cockfighting hot spot, but Connecticut might be turning into one, the Boston Globe reports. Since 2005 Hartford-area police have made at least five major cockfighting busts, arresting about 80 people and seizing more than $88,000. Police aren’t sure if that means cockfighting is on the rise, or that they’re being more vigilant, but they’re disturbed by one detail: People are steaming into the state for these events. More»

Louisiana, Deep South bring up the rear in new survey

(NEWSER) - Apparently the moose-on-moose violence is next to nil, because Maine has scored the title of most peaceful state in the union, according to a new survey by the Institute for Economics & Peace. It finds the nation as a whole at its most peaceful point in two decades. Louisiana, meanwhile, grabs the dubious honor of least peaceful state for an 11th consecutive year, reports USA Today . The survey defines peaceful simply as "the absence of violence," and factors in homicide, violent crime, and incarceration rates, as well as number of police and the prevalence of small arms. Highlights: More»