PETA offers $5,000 reward to expose animal-fighting rings

People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals stepped in to offer a $5,000 reward for help leading to convictions in exposing suspected animal-fighting rings following a spate of incidents involving bait dogs as well as cockfighting in Watsonville.

Sweet-natured dogs have been used as bait in Watsonville to help sharpen instincts of fighter dogs who are kept outdoors and tethered with chains 24 hours a day to help make them aggressive.

PETA’s Animal Cruelty Case officer Kristin Rickman said PETA becomes involved in unsolved cases and where there are no leads. PETA is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction on cruelty charges of the person or persons responsible for these crimes.

“We offer rewards in cases that are especially egregious and where there are multiple animals involved and repeated incidents,” Rickman said.

The latest incidents involve the discovery of decaying bodies of approximately 30 roosters off Rancho Road and nearby Shell Road in Watsonville for cockfighting purposes as well as sighting of two young, wounded pit bulls exhibiting behavior found in ‘bait dogs’.

‘Not only is forcing dogs and roosters to fight to the death cruel, it’s also illegal in all 50 states,’ says Stephanie Bell, PETA Senior Director of Cruelty Casework

Field Services Manager Todd Stosuy of Santa Cruz County Animal control said in his 13 years in that position, this is the first time he’s seen dog ‘bait’ incidents.

“We found two pit bulls who we suspect had been tethered with the fighter dogs who had been built up to be aggressive and attacked them. One of the pit bulls, a black female, had her ear pretty mangled during the fight,” Stosuy said.

With the roosters, their combs and wattles (the fleshy skin on top of their heads and hanging from their throats) were cut, and their feet were wrapped with gauze, which is typically used to fit them with boots that hold razor blades. On Sunday, officers discovered three more dead roosters, including one with a metal tag engraved with the number 23 on the bird’s right wing.

These incidents come less than a year after 31 dead roosters were discovered in similar condition near Rancho Road on May 5, 2016. Officials are investigating but have yet to make any arrests in these cases.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact Santa Cruz Animal Rescue & Control at 831 4547200.