Firefighters investigating a water leak in a Bronx apartment building discovered a breeding center for illegal cockfights in the basement, authorities said yesterday.
Firefighters from Ladder Co. 46 found 10 cages containing roosters and breeding paraphernalia, including scales and vitamins, at 3140-3150 Kingsbridge Ave. on Sunday night, after going to the basement to turn off the building’s water supply.
Cops and officers from the Center for Animal Care and Control were called to the scene and the birds were later destroyed. No arrests were made as there were no people in the basement, authorities said.
“These birds cannot be rehabilitated and unfortunately they had to be euthanized,” said Mike Pastore, CACC field operations director. “The people who were doing this were engaging in illegal and inhumane acts.”
Neighbors on the block said they had suspected for some time that roosters were being bred in the building.
“Last spring I could smell something in there. I heard roosters. Sometimes I could see feathers,” said Eric Rodriguez.
Other residents said they had seen roosters in the building during the summer when the basement windows were open.
Pastore said most cockfighting, which is a felony in New York state, usually takes place in warmer months.
“I can only guess that these animals were being secluded and prepared for the upcoming season,” he said, adding that heaters and wall insulation had been found in the building basement.
Cockfighting is a felony, but rooster-breeding, often hidden in basements and derelict buildings, is only a misdemeanor, said Pastore.