REEDS SPRING, Mo. (AP) -- A cockfighting investigation has led to the seizure of more than 230 birds from a rural southwest Missouri property.
The Springfield News-Leader reports that the Stone County Sheriff's Office and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals removed the birds Thursday. The ASPCA says in a news release that investigators found the birds, mainly roosters, living in makeshift wire cages. Many of the birds lacked access to proper food or water.
The release says several birds had injuries consistent with cockfighting. Also found were performance drugs and items such as spurs that are used to maximize injury.
The Stone County Sheriff's Office says deputies first discovered the suspected cockfighting operation while executing a narcotics search warrant north of Reeds Spring. The birds are being kept at a temporary shelter.