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Officials alleged Filipino as operators in the cockfight stages in San Diego, California, wherein the operations sends many of its birds to the Philippines.

State officials found more than 5000 birds underfed and mutilated for the fights. The San Diego Humane Society and The Humane Society of the United States with the help of federal and state authorities planned the raid in a six-month investigation.

100 people are sought wherein 50 are charged with $5000 and punishable of up to one year in prison for misdemeanor. The other 50 are active and retired military personnel since San Diego in a primary naval center in California.

Paul Levikow, the San Diego County district attorney’s office spokesman, said:

This is the largest cockfighting ring ever busted up in the United States because of the number of defendants and the number of birds seized.

Philippine connection is alleged since “sabong”, the Filipino term for cockfighting is legal in the country to entice and lure tourist by local officials. And also, it is considered as a pastime in the Philippines. However, in the US, cockfighting is illegal since it is considered as a a bloody sport which denote barbarity.

Humane Society of the United States Director in California Eric Sakach said:

Birds are literally being mutilated, sliced right there. Whole appendages can fall off.

The San Diego County Animal Services Department said that:

This is what we call a life-to-death operation for these birds,” he said. “They were raised on site. They would sell the eggs to people that wanted a championship bloodline for these birds.

San Diego District attorney sited more than 50 cockfighting cases in the last six years but this has been the biggest since 2001, which led authorities to discover more than 2500 birds.