5 Men Charged With Operating Illegal Cockfighting Ring

The B.C. branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says it's pleased charges have been laid against five people connected to a cockfighting ring in the Lower Mainland.

The B.C. SPCA said it is pleased with the results, even though the animal rights group had recommended 27 people be charged for what was called one of the largest cockfighting rings in Canada.

In February, police raided three properties in Cloverdale, where they found cockfighting pits, razor-sharp spurs and 1,270 birds. Some of the birds were missing eyes, others had head wounds and infected cuts, and all of the birds had to be destroyed.

On Monday, the RCMP laid charges of keeping a cockpit against five people.

Police tracked down and arrested three of the men Monday. Warrants have been issued for the other two.

The names of the men have not been released.

Sean Eccles, the chief animal protection officer with the B.C. SPCA, said the number of charges laid reflect how difficult the investigation was.

"At the time the warrants were executed in February, there was no fighting in progress at that time. We're not able to actually go after anybody for cockfighting but actually for just maintaining or keeping the cockpit," he said. "It's extremely difficult to, I guess, immerse yourself into that whole world and that was one of the difficulties that were faced by the RCMP as well."

Cockfighting, which is illegal in Canada, is a sport in which two roosters are pitted against each other in a ring called a cockpit and bets are placed on the animals.

The birds are often fed steroids and sometimes equipped with sharp metal spurs taped to their legs.

Roosters are often wounded or killed during the course of a match.

Eccles said the SPCA continues to receive reports of other cockfighting rings operating in the Lower Mainland.