Greenfield PD breaks up a cockfighting operation, 40 people fled the scene.

A large gathering in a vineyard close to Patriot Park caught the attention of Greenfield Police on Friday night, March 21. Upon the police officer’s arrival,  40 people fled the scene. 

The site, located on the 41000 block of Elm Avenue, was an underground cockfighting arena (cockfighting is an animal cruelty practice that is illegal in many states and in some is a felony. In California, this crime is a misdemeanor). There, authorities reportedly found a total of 15 roosters; one of them was dead in the arena.

GPD announced the findings on social media. “Together, we can help protect our community and stand against animal cruelty,” the post read. 

GPD turned the case over for further investigation to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and Monterey County SPCA. 

“Animal Wellness Action has identified California as an enormous national hotspot for cockfighting,” officials from AWA, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit organization, stated in a press release.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, cockfighting is a multi-million-dollar illegal industry involving more than three million birds. Some of the largest seizures in the country have happened in California.

This crime is difficult to prove because law enforcement have to prove a suspect's intent to use the birds for cockfighting.

“Cockfighting is cruel and barbaric, and it is always bound up with other crimes,” said AWA President Wayne Pacelle in a press release. “We must further strengthen California law and U.S. law to make it easier to enforce our anti-animal fighting laws.”

In February, Assemblymember Chris Rogers, D-Santa Rosa, introduced the Cockfighting Cruelty Act, or AB 928, in partnership with the Humane Society of the United States, which seeks to establish civil penalties against gamefowl yards, a place where roosters are bred for cockfighting.

"AB 928 builds on California’s legacy of protecting animals from cruel and inhumane treatment by allowing law enforcement to address cockfighting in the community before it becomes a major criminal operation,” Rogers said in a press release. Rogers added this measure would also help to decrease public health risk since bird smuggling could spread diseases, like avian flu, to poultry farms. 

If anyone has information about the Greenfield illegal cockfighting ring, they can reach out to MCSO or SPCA.