MONTEREY CO, Calif. - A bill passed today could be the start to California and the Central Coast cracking down on cockfighting.
Judi Adams is a Humane Investigator at the SPCA of Monterey County and she said while some people gamble with cards, a more popular sport in certain parts of the Central Coast these days is the illegal gambling of cockfighting.
"In Monterey County, cockfighting is a huge issue. There are a lot of rural areas," said Adams.
"They say cockfighting is a problem here in Monterey County because there are very few rules that say how many roosters you can own."
Adams said those lack of rules could be part of the reason cock fighters comes to Monterey County from surrounding areas. Whereas in some counties you can only own 4 roosters, here in the county you can own up to 499.
Humane Investigators said they usually find cockfighting rings in more rural areas because of the easy get-a-way for those fighting the bird and gambling.
"Yes, your more rural areas like Prundale, south county, and rural parts of the Carmel Valley area," Adams said.
The sport is legal in Mexico and Adams said that's another reason its popular here, but many people use the sport as a money maker.
"Cockfighting can be lucrative and it's a way to make money, at the expense of animals. Its a bloody sport. And a lot of times its cultural," explained Adams.
Governor Brown passed a law today that will double the fine for participating or watching the illegal cockfights.
Adams said before, people would just pay the fine if caught, but with the Governor's new bill; it would make it much harder to afford the fine that now sits at $10,000.
By Brett Martin
