Seizure of 228 roosters and fighting equipment underscores the importance of sustained investigations and community reporting
REDMOND — Animal Wellness Action today applauded the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, its Street Crimes Unit, and animal control personnel for their extensive investigation into an alleged large-scale cockfighting operation northeast of Redmond.
According to the sheriff’s office, detectives executed a search warrant Nov. 4 at a property off O’Neil Highway and seized 228 roosters, along with equipment associated with cockfighting. Investigators reported finding sparring muffs used in training and a “slasher,” a blade designed to be attached to a rooster’s leg for cockfights.
“We applaud the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office for taking reports from concerned neighbors seriously and following the evidence,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action. “Investigating an operation of this scale requires persistence and coordination. These detectives and animal control personnel deserve credit for treating animal cruelty as the serious crime it is.”
The investigation began after neighbors raised concerns about excessive noise, large gatherings, and increased late-night traffic. Animal Wellness Action thanked those community members for reporting their observations and helping authorities investigate.
“Cockfighting turns living animals into disposable instruments of violence,” added Pacelle. “Breeding, feeding, and conditioning a rooster does not excuse strapping a blade to his leg and placing him in a pit to fight. Claims of tradition cannot justify deliberate cruelty.”
Animal Wellness Action urged a thorough investigation and prosecution of any offenses supported by the evidence, along with humane care for the seized birds.
“This case should send a clear message that organized animal fighting deserves sustained attention from law enforcement,” said Pacelle. “Animal fighting is a felony in Oregon, and you participate in it with the very real risk you’ll lose your freedom and your assets.”
The Sheriff’s Office reported that the investigation remains ongoing and the case is under review by a Deschutes County grand jury. Suspects’ names have not been released, and additional charges may follow as investigators review the evidence.
Animal Wellness Action is calling for continued aggressive enforcement and passage of federal legislation to dismantle cockfighting networks permanently. At the federal level, the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act, H.R. 3946 and S. 1454, would strengthen penalties for animal fighting, enhance federal enforcement tools, and target the organized criminal enterprises behind these operations. The bill is supported by both the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association and the National Sheriffs’ Association, along with more than 450 other law enforcement agencies and a total of nearly 1,100 endorsing agencies and organizations.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, is a cosponsor of the FIGHT Act, as are U.S. Reps. Val Hoyle, D-4th, Susan Bonamici, D-1st, Cliff Bentz, R-2nd, Janelle Bynum, D-5th, and Andrea Salinas, D-6th, who is the co-leader of the legislation.
Animal Wellness Action also encourages anyone with information about illegal cockfighting operations to report suspicious activities to local law enforcement authorities or to tips@animalwellnessaction.org.