YAKIMA COUNTY, Wash. — The Pierce County animal sanctuary involved in the seizure and rescue of birds involved in a cockfighting ring says an additional 64 roosters set to be rescued were instead shot and killed by Yakima County officials.
Kate Tsyrklevich. the co-founder of Heartwood Haven in Roy, told KING 5 the sanctuary had secured homes and other living arrangements for the birds, which remained at the Yakima County property where the other birds were found.
Heartwood Haven previously helped recover more than 50 roosters and hens from the Yakima County property as part of a federal investigation into what prosecutors called a violent prison gang.
"The [ATF] agent let us know the birds were killed, that she had some sad, unfortunate news for us. That's how we found out," Tsyrklevich said. "We never heard anything from the Yakima Sheriff's Office. We still haven't."
She said she learned the birds were shot to death, one by one.
"There's no reason to shoot them, or kill them," Tsyrklevich said. "This is a terrifying process for birds because they're housed in very close proximity. With 64 birds, they're just watching each one of them be shot and killed."
In a statement on Facebook, the Yakima County Sheriff's Office confirmed the roosters were euthanized. According to the sheriff's office, deputies assisted the ATF with a search warrant raid on two locations in April. Yakima animal control was on scene to assist with dogs and horses. The ATF gave roosters at one location to the rescue.
A few days later, the Yakima County Sheriff's Office received a call for service at the second location regarding neglected or unfed horses. Deputies responded and observed roosters were still housed there. After calling ATF, deputies were told the search warrant was not finished, according to the sheriff's office.
"We could not leave the roosters at the home since owning, possessing, or housing cockfighting roosters is illegal in Washington state," the sheriff's office Facebook post reads. "If we had left, the owner would have moved them so we couldn't have found them..."
The owner agreed to surrender the roosters that had been altered for cockfighting.
"Given the limitations in workforce and resources, we were faced with the difficult decision of what to do with the 64 roosters," the sheriff's office Facebook post reads. "Ultimately, due to the lack of available options for the care and housing of the cockfighting roosters, we decided to euthanize them humanely. This was a challenging decision, but one that was necessary given the circumstances.
"We do not have an on-call veterinarian to euthanize with a needle, nor would a veterinarian put themselves in harm's way of aggressive, angry roosters specifically bred for fighting. Remember, these roosters are not pets people would associate with a normal backyard setup.
"It is legal in Washington state to euthanize animals using a firearm. Other legal options would be to ring the necks until dead or using a knife to slit the throats of the roosters."