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At a time when cockfighting is illegal throughout the United States, the blood sport involving roosters being placed in a ring and forced to fight to the death for the amusement of onlookers.

The roosters are raised and trained to fight on “game farms.” The breeders kill the birds they deem inferior, keeping only the birds who are willing to fight.

Majority of the birds spend most of their lives tethered by one leg near inadequate shelter, such as a plastic barrel or small cage. Some Law enforcement officials have found performance-enhancing drugs during raids.

The Cockfights are usually held in round or square enclosures called “cockpits”. One eyewitness described a fight this way: “With neck feathers fanned and wings whirring, the birds jump and parry at each other. They kick and duel in mid-air, striking at each other with feet and beak.”

Apart from cruelty to animals, cockfighting is often linked to other crimes, such as illegal gambling, robbery, drug use or selling, and even murder. Children are often present at cockfights, and exposure to such violence can promote insensitivity to suffering and an enthusiasm for bloodshed.

That was the case in Northeast Las Vegas where authorities claim that about 40 people scrambled from a northeast Las Vegas residence as officers arrived to investigate reports of cockfighting.

The Animal Control officers had arrived at the chicken-fighting scene Sunday morning at Lamb and Lake Mead boulevards. The investigation is still underway as police look into the matter.

The authorities did not make any reports of arrests made as of Sunday afternoon. This comes nearly a week after authorities removed around 13 horses, 150 roosters and hens, 400 pigeons, four turtles and two guinea pigs from another Las Vegas home recently.

Source: https://lasvegassun.com/news/2018/jan/28/police-40-people-flee-cockfighting-scene-at-las-ve/