HOUSTON (August 30, 2008) - Late Friday evening the Houston SPCA Cruelty Investigation Team led by Chief Investigator, Charles Jantzen, rescued 103 game cocks and hens, 5 horses and 2 goats from a property in north Houston. A report of a loose horse led Harris County Constable Precinct 1 officers to the property where they discovered a multitude of game fowl caged in wire pens living alongside an old barn. The cages were placed closely together in an area enclosed by a makeshift wire fence and saturated in mud and weeds. The two goats were found in a small white trailer on the property and the horses were removed from disheveled stables.
Every single animal found on the property has some sort of injury or alteration to its body. The chickens seized are game fowl which are typically bred for aggression. They were found with their combs, which is the loose skin on the top of their heads, and waddles, which is the skin that hangs from their necks, cut off. Spurs are found on the inside of a chickens legs and are the equivalent of a thumb. Each rooster seized had their spurs cut down to a stump. This is common practice in cockfighting in order to attach artificial knives and gaffs to the stump for fighting purposes. Game roosters are extremely aggressive and will fight to the death. One of the rescued goats has an injured left front leg and along with injuries, two of the five horses are pregnant.
There appears to be several owners to the animals found on the property, however, their names are not being released at this time. Criminal animal cruelty charges may be filed. The Houston SPCA will appear in court on Tuesday to request custody of all the animals seized. Currently, the animals are being housed at the Houston SPCA where they are being fed, treated for injuries and undergoing a series of medical and behavioral evaluations.
