Dozens of chickens seized in alleged Dallas cockfighting operation

Texas authorities said they have seized more than 100 chickens in an alleged Dallas-area cockfighting operation, The Dallas Morning News reported. 

Dallas Police Department (DPD) said they received a 911 call that detailed about 200 people actively betting on fighting roosters in the 11700 block of Garden Grove Drive in the Dallas area. 

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Texas was called in by authorities to help with the removal of 125 roosters, two of which were dead, and eight hens. 

The SPCA said most of the roosters they recovered were weak and severely injured from the fighting, being kept in wire cages inside horse stalls, according to the Morning News. 

The SPCA also said that some of the chickens were tethered to posts by strings on their legs. 

The animal rights group added that it found dead chickens throughout the facility, saying cockfighting paraphernalia, including scales and steel spurs, was also found, the Morning News reported.

This comes as Dallas authorities seized nearly 300 birds from a Grand Prairie, Texas, cockfighting operation in April 2021. 

Authorities also seized about 200 birds at a Balch Springs, Texas, facility after the city’s animal services investigated the report of odors and found evidence of cockfighting, the Morning News reported. 

Causing birds to engage in fights and gambling on blood sports is a felony in Texas that carries a maximum punishment of a two-year prison stint and a $10,000 fine, the Morning News noted.