Last June, the Civil Guard dismantled the facilities where a large-scale cockfight was due to take place in the town of Fuente Álamo, Murcia, Spain. Fifty cockerels of the Spanish Fighting breed, some with mutilated combs and wattles, were awaiting the event at an agricultural property where everything was ready for the bouts.
Inside the building there was a permanent fighting pit with more than 200 seats, a caged area housing 50 cockerels of the Spanish Fighting breed, and a room set up as a bar.
Two individuals have been investigated for an offence of animal cruelty in the attempted stage and another offence of electricity theft.
Almost €40,000 in cash has been seized, allegedly linked to gambling activities.
The fighting pit where the fights were to be held was more reminiscent of a boxing ring than a farmyard or henhouse, with a circular arena in the centre marked with red and black numbers and, surrounding it, 200 seats arranged in a circular tiered formation.
This illegal fighting pit even had electronic scoreboards to display the scores during the fights, as well as scales for weighing the birds and veterinary instruments. The pit was a permanent structure and nothing about it suggested any temporary nature. The electricity supply was illegally tapped from the mains grid.
At the rear of the pit, the cages held around fifty cockerels awaiting their turn to fight. This is a common practice with these birds, whose combs and wattles are removed to facilitate fighting and prevent them from being easily injured. They also had very sharp spurs, another characteristic feature of these fighting breeds.
Sources close to the investigation detail that the facilities did not correspond to a breeding establishment, but were merely a holding area until the time of the fights — much like the bull pens at bullrings where the animals are kept until the time of the corrida. On the premises, officers also found approximately €40,000 in cash, money intended for use in betting.
The investigation, which lasted several weeks, concluded with the arrest of a man considered to be the organiser of the planned fight, who is charged with an animal cruelty offence in the attempted stage. The owner of the property where the facilities were located has also been identified and is charged with electricity theft.