On Saturday, an illegal cockfighting operation was shut down in Tonopah, resulting in several arrests and citations. As FOX 10 Phoenix reports, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office responded to a welfare check on the 3600 block of 334th Avenue, initiated by an out-of-state homeowner who reported unauthorized presence on their property. During the response, deputies encountered multiple individuals attempting to hastily leave the premises and discovered an active cockfight in progress.
According to MCSO spokesperson William Jinks, deputies found evidence of gambling and cockfighting paraphernalia, including ledgers, scoreboards, and equipment requisite to organize these brutal contests. To bolster the investigation, 34 live roosters that had been altered for fighting purposes and two dead ones near the fighting ring were uncovered, along with another hole on the property containing several more deceased birds. "When patrol first arrived they noted they witnessed an active cockfight," Jinks told FOX 10 Phoenix.
Multiple arrests have been made in the wake of the finding, as reported by ABC15. While some individuals were detained and cited for their presence at the event, others face more serious charges for facilitating the cockfights. This operation's exposure has surprised locals, with neighbor Borix Espina remarking, "Stuff like that always brings the wrong crowd, illegal activity. Obviously, you don’t want that kind of stuff around your kids or your family."
The property owner, currently out of state, has since dismissed a yard tenant who was reportedly responsible for allowing the cockfights on the premises. This activity is not only illegal but lays bare a disturbing reality of animal cruelty. Tracey Miller, an animal rescuer with the Arizona Humane Society, highlighted the abuse these birds endure: “They are pumped so full steroids, medicine, pain killers, and they are trained to fight literally anything, that even if we were to take them in on a 10 day seizure, we couldn’t send them to a rescue or adopt them out,” Miller told ABC15.
The investigation into the Tonopah cockfighting ring is ongoing, and anyone with information about illegal animal fighting is encouraged to contact Animal Wellness Action at [email protected]. In Arizona, cockfighting has been banned since 1998, and incidents such as these continue to emerge periodically, reminding the public and authorities alike of the persistent challenge in combating this form of abuse.
