Two men were arrested Wednesday for allegedly running a cockfighting ring near 24th and Cypress in east Kansas City.
The city's Animal Health and Public Safety Division, backed up by Kansas City police, executed a search warrant on two adjoining houses on Cypress.
"We found a large number of fowl. And when I say foul we had roosters, we had hens, and we had baby chicks," according to Special Investigator James Donovan.
The actual cockfighting, city officials say, was done at a different location.
Donovan says animal control does few of these cases. “This is not typical here in Kansas City, Missouri. But this is an ongoing deal and it’s a new, upcoming trend.”
"Cockfighting is a blood sport in which two roosters specifically bred for aggression are placed beak to beak in a small ring and encouraged to fight to the death," says the The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals website. The ASPCA says cockfighting is illegal in all 50 states.
Donovan says these birds were generally in good condition.
In addition, authorities seized several adult dogs and nine puppies during the raid, but they did not suggest the dogs were used for fighting.
A call about a stray dog in the neighborhood led investigators to the alleged cockfighting operation.
Sam Zeff is KCUR's Metro Reporter. You can follow Sam on Twitter @samzeff.
