More than 400 roosters and hens euthanized after being found in alleged Kansas cockfighting operation

Hundreds of birds were euthanized after a joint investigation led to their seizure from an alleged cockfighting operation in Kansas.   

The Humane World for Animals (formerly the Humane Society of the United States) said in a news release that it collaborated with the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office to seize more than 400 roosters and hens from the operation. The sheriff’s office confirmed the seize to CBS News.

Law enforcement served a residential property with a search and seizure warrant around 6 a.m. on Tuesday. The birds were found living in small wire or wooden structures with “little protection from the below freezing temperatures,” the Humane World for Animals said. Temperatures in the area were in the 30s on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. 

Some of the birds were injured or sick, the humane society said, including two roosters on the property who had open wounds and were “covered in dried blood.” Other birds had “apparent respiratory infections.” Some of the birds had no access to water. Transport boxes, electronic scales and gaffs, sharp blades that can be attached to roosters’ legs during fights, were found on the property, the news statement said.

The Humane World for Animals said it identified the birds as gamefowl, which means they were selectively bred to be aggressive with other birds and raised for fighting. 

The birds found at the scene were humanely euthanized, the animal society said, because of their risk of spreading infectious diseases and the lack of homes they could go to. Cockfighting rings can “pose a significant risk to the spread of avian disease, including highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1” because of the lack of care for the birds and because they are transported across state lines and interact with birds from other flocks, the organization said. 

The injuries inflicted between birds can also result in bloodborne illnesses. More than 148 million birds across the country have been culled to avoid spreading bird flu. 

The sheriff’s office had been working on the case for about two years, one detective said in the press release.  

“The Sumner County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating this case. No arrest has been made at this time,” undersheriff Mike Westmoreland confirmed in an email to CBS News.