Cops: Coram man trained birds for cockfights

A Coram man was arrested Friday after police say they found 14 birds being used for cockfighting at his home. Authorities say the birds found in Jose Santos? backyard shed are worth more than $100,000.

News 12 Staff

May 9, 2009, 1:06 AM

Updated 5,906 days ago

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A Coram man was arrested Friday after police say they found 14 birds being used for cockfighting at his home.
Authorities say the birds found in Jose Santos? backyard shed are worth more than $100,000. Police were acting on a search warrant issued for Santos? house for an undisclosed reason when they found the birds. When officers went into the back of the home, they say they found 14 fighting birds in individual cages. Investigators say they were part of a cockfighting ring.
The SPCA says all the birds are strong and healthy and that their feathers were shaved off in preparation for fighting.
?You'll also notice the waddles and combs are surgically removed,? SPCA Chief Roy Gross says. ?That's to prevent the other bird from having something to hold onto.?
The SPCA says they have to euthanize the birds because they are too vicious to be rehabilitated.