The Telegraph and Argus reported that West Yorkshire Police raided eight properties (six in Bradford, and one apiece in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, and Warrington, Cheshire) in a coordinated nationwide operation on June 4.

Bradford Cockfighting Crackdown

One of the arrestees was arrested on suspicion of “causing an animal fight to take place and taking part in an animal fight.”

Police arrested the other man on suspicion of attending an animal fight.

Officers carried out the raid in conjunction with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), the UK’s largest animal welfare charity.

An RSPCA spokesperson said it had taken the cockerels into care, adding that the police investigation was “ongoing.”

Cockfighting was outlawed in the UK in the 1800s. However, in 2017, the RSPCA reported that the bloodsport was “at a five-year high in the UK and growing, particularly in British-born Pakistani communities.”

Bradford Farmer Found Breeding Fighting Birds in 2023

Bradford appears to have become the unofficial epicenter of Britain’s underground cockfighting movement.

In 2023, the BBC reported that a 39-year-old farmer from Bradford “staged cockfights” and was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and banned from keeping chickens and roosters on his land.

The RSPCA told Bradford Crown Court that it had found 22 hens and cockerels on the farmer’s land “with fighting injuries, feather loss, and without food or water.”

West Yorkshire Police raided the farm, where they found birds in makeshift pens. Many of the animals had feathers missing from their chests, as well as damaged legs.

Officers found a dead cockerel at the farm. Three other birds were euthanised on expert advice from a veterinarian.

Bloodsport’s Global Popularity Remains High

There was also evidence of malnourishment at the farm, which the RSPCA suggested was common in cockfighting rings.

Officers found videos on the farmer’s phone that indicated he was indeed training the birds to fight.

A vet told the court that 14 of the birds were in a state of neglect. The expert confirmed that some of the birds had undergone unnecessary suffering.

Cockfighting and betting on animal fights remain extremely popular in many parts of the world. Earlier this month, police in India arrested five people in a raid on a suspected cockfighting ring.

Malaysian police are also cracking down on cockfighting tournaments. Officers in the state of Sabah recently arrested three elderly men at a makeshift arena.

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The news outlet Daily Express Malaysia reported that police arrested three Malaysian men at the site. All three suspects are aged between 64 and 74 years old.

Officers from the Penampang District Criminal Investigation Division launched their raid on Sunday, May 25, at around 4.30 pm. Police acted after receiving a tip-off from a member of the public.

Police arrested the three men, but several other suspects fled the scene, a spokesperson said.

Officers rescued four live roosters from the site. They also confiscated three cages, a cockfighting ring, and cash worth 319 ringgit ($75).

Malaysia Cockfighting Crackdown Intensifies

District Police Chief Supt Sammy Newton was quoted as stating that police suspect the trio of violating Sabah’s Animal Welfare Enactment of 2015.

The law states that individuals “causing or attempting to cause an animal fight” or “receiving money for admission to an animal fight” may be punished with “a fine not exceeding 100,000 ringgit [$23,557] or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or to both.”

Last month, police urged the public to come forward with information about illegal cockfighting contests, which remain popular in the nation despite a ban.

Officers arrested 124 individuals in a raid in Selangor, where they recovered the bodies of several dead birds, cash, metal fighting spurs, and assorted non-cockfighting-related gambling equipment.

The raid was planned months in advance, with officers carefully plotting their route into a secluded forested area.

Most of the cockfighting bettors and fight organizers were Indonesian nationals, police said.

Cockfighting is illegal in most parts of the world. However, some countries still allow citizens to bet on regulated cockfighting tournaments.

In April this year, the Mexican state of Chiapas authorized the temporary return of regulated cockfighting after a backlash from opponents of a ban.

Several Mexican states have granted the highly divisive sport special cultural heritage status. Others, meanwhile, strictly forbid all forms of cockfighting.

Lottery Ticket Arrest

Elsewhere in Malaysia, meanwhile, a court has ordered a woman found in possession of illegal gambling paraphernalia to pay a fine or serve a jail sentence.

Prosecution officials told the court that police arrested the woman, named Natalia Nicole, on May 20.

Police said Nicole was behaving “in a suspicious manner” at the time of the arrest. Officers arrested her outside a commercial address in Jalan Inanam Baru, Inanam, Daily Express Malaysia wrote in a separate report.

A Magistrate’s Court in Kota Kinabalu ordered Nicole to pay a fine of 1,000 ringgit ($235) or serve a three-month jail term. Nicole pleaded guilty to possessing two illegal lottery tickets.

Malaysian regulations outlaw most forms of onshore gambling, except for a legal casino located in the Genting Highlands.

The Genting Casino houses some 400 electronic tables, as well as 3,000 slot machines. Earlier this year, it completed a renovation, adding a new floor with 36 live gaming tables.

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The Star reported that almost 100 officers and special agents conducted the raid. These included members of the police Anti-Vice, Gambling, and Secret Societies division and the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department. Police canine units and veterinarians also participated in the raid.

Cockfighting Raid: Police Hunt for More Suspects

Officers said 46 of the arrestees are Malaysian nationals. The remaining 78 are Indonesian passport holders, some of whom police think may be illegal immigrants.

The hunt is on for more gamblers and betting organizers, with police examining mobile phones they found at the scene in the hope of finding clues.

Police began probing the ring in October last year, tracing its operations to a heavily forested area near the town of Sungai Buloh, in the state of Selangor.

A spokesperson explained that officers used aerial drones to conduct surveillance prior to their surprise raid. They used the drones to plan the operation, entering the forest via an unmarked dirt road.

Police said they rescued 52 live birds from the scene. The birds are currently being cared for by the government’s Department of Veterinary Services pending a court ruling.

Officers also found the bodies of seven dead animals at the scene.

They confiscated several sets of steel cockfighting spurs and a scale used to weigh fighting birds. Officers say they think six of the Indonesian suspects organized the cockfights.

A Malaysian is believed to have masterminded the lottery. Officers also confiscated gambling equipment for a popular betting-based board game called bola golek and RM145,855 (over $34,000) in cash.

Suspects May Serve Three-Year Jail Sentences

Police are ready to charge the individuals with gambling law and animal welfare-related violations. Malaysian courts have the power to jail individuals who intentionally harm animals for up to three years.

Some arrestees will also face punishment under Malaysia’s immigration laws.

The spokesperson told citizens to report suspicious gatherings in forest areas, warehouses, and disused buildings, explaining: “Community vigilance is our strongest weapon. With the public’s help, we can prevent cruel cockfights. We must protect families from the social harm caused by illegal gambling.”

Last month, the Mexican state of Chiapas authorized the temporary return of regulated cockfighting following a backlash from residents opposing a ban.

The controversial sport remains popular in many parts of Mexico, where it has been awarded cultural heritage status.

Malaysian law prohibits most forms of onshore gambling, with the sole exception of a legal casino that operates in the Genting Highlands.

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The Chiapas-based newspaper El Heraldo de Chiapas reported that the temporary measure will allow organizers in Chiapas to run authorized cockfighting events until June 30 this year.

Mexican Cockfighting Returns in Chiapas

The news was welcomed by Efraín Rábago, head of the Sistema Nacional de Criadores de Aves de Combate (National System of Fighting Bird Breeders; literal translation). The Sistema was founded in 1973 and claims to uphold the “legal rights” of Mexican “fighting bird breeders.”

Rábago said the decision would “benefit everyone – from breeders with one rooster to people with thousands of birds.”

The Sistema chief added that the body would continue to work for the entire cockfighting community.

The move marks an abrupt U-turn from the Chiapas authorities. The state suspended all cockfighting and horse racing events in January this year.

Critics claimed that the suspension had a substantial adverse economic impact on workers in the Chiapas cockfighting and horse racing industries.

The state has become at odds over its policy on cockfighting. Advocates claim that cockfighting should be given official cultural heritage status in Chiapas.

Other Mexican states—including Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Tlaxcala, Nayarit, and Hidalgo—have previously granted the controversial sport such a designation.

However, animal rights activists say that cockfighting contravenes the spirit of animal welfare clauses in laws such as the Chiapas State’s Law for the Protection of Wildlife.

The law seeks to protect both domesticated and wild animals in the state.

But Chiapas officials have claimed that the latest decision is designed to help prevent the rise of clandestine and unregulated events.

Federal Regulation Remains in Place

Cockfighting is still subject to federal-level regulation under the terms of Mexico’s Law on Gambling and Raffles.

Advocates say that many fights are held in secret, which puts the safety of animals and attendees at greater risk.

Chiapas officials said such events also promote unauthorized betting. The new decree states that cockfighting event organizers cannot access public funds.

The decree also notes “mandatory requirements” for organizers, who must obtain official permission to allow betting at cockfighting events.

Organizers must also ensure that veterinarians are present during all events. In the state, cockfights can only take place between noon and 11:00 p.m., with a maximum duration of eight hours per event.

Other Mexican states have moved to ban cockfighting in recent years. Sonora, Coahuila, and Mexico City outlawed the bloodsport in 2012. Veracruz followed with its own ban, which the Supreme Court upheld in 2018.

Last year, the Mexican arm of the Wiztech Group sealed a deal to host Push Gaming slots, with the studio targeting further expansion in the country.

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