NEW YORK – A large-scale animal abuse bust over the weekend has exposed a New York cockfighting ring that bred roosters and dosed them with steroids to make them more aggressive.
State and American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals officials were sorting through the evidence on Monday. The evidence includes up to 6,000 roosters and hens on an upstate farm. The animals face an uncertain future.
Authorities made nine arrests in raids on the farm, a pet store in Brooklyn and a secret fighting pit in a Queens basement.
Investigators recovered syringes used to inject the roosters with steroids and vitamins. They also found wax and medical tape used to arm the roosters with razor-sharp metal spurs for fights to the death.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
