Hundreds of roosters rescued from Eastern Washington cockfighting ring in need of homes

ZILLAH, Wash. — Hundreds of fighting roosters have been removed from a cockfighting ring in Zillah and Outlook that functioned as a money-making scheme for a criminal organization.

The bust came earlier this month as part of "Operation Dizzy," a more than two-year-long investigation by federal, state and local law enforcement into a criminal conspiracy.

According to authorities, in addition to cockfighting, the conspiracy involved drug trafficking and money laundering, and was driven by leaders of a prison gang who were already serving time in a maximum-security prison.

Out of the 34 people indicted in this case, two of the defendants were charged with unlawful animal fighting, which reportedly occurred between June 2023 and April 7, 2024.

According to court documents, authorities believe 25-year-old Fernando Villegas was responsible for training the birds to fight and that it was done at the direction of 43-year-old Jose Alfredo Chavez Arredondo. The cases against them are now making their way through federal court.

However, authorities are still dealing with the logistics of what to do with the hundreds of roosters removed from the cockfighting ring.

“There are very few rescues and resources for these guys and so, because of that, we've decided to help out," said Kate Tsyrklevich, executive director of Heartwood Haven Animal Rescue, which is located in Roy, Wash.

Tsyrklevich said cockfighting rings involving hundreds of roosters are shut down, the authorities often end up having to euthanize most, if not all, of the birds.

“Because there are a few rescues that will take on these cases," Tsyrklevich  said. "Roosters are notoriously hard to place and adopt out. People don't want to have roosters.”

Tsyrklevich said part of that has to do with peoples' misconceptions about roosters removed from these types of situations being dangerous or scary.

"This guy sitting in my lap, he's taking a little nap," Tsyrklevich said. "Definitely not, you know, a killer bird. He's just the victim of a really horrible crime.”

Tsyrklevich said rescued fighting roosters tend not to do well with other roosters, but actually do well with other animals, pets and people.

"The roosters have to be handled a lot in order to be trained; they're actually very good with people, the large majority of them," Tsyrklevich said. “We place the majority of these guys into family homes where there are kids, where they have a flock of hens to watch over and they do really great.”

Tsyrklevich said the 41 roosters they've been able to rescue so far have all received veterinary care and are surprisingly healthy for all that they've been through.

"These guys were, for the most part, not injured or at least the injuries were old and healed," Tsyrklevich said. "They haven't shown any signs of disease and have tested negative for everything that we've tested for."

Tsyrklevich said every rooster they rescue also receives multiple evaluations, which allows them to determine which birds are ready to be adopted out and which ones may need more time at the rescue.

The 41 roosters they've rescued so far are being adopted out to animal rescues, sanctuaries and homes across the country, including in North Carolina, Idaho and California. But Tsyrklevich said their work is far from over.

"We are actively working to find adopters for many, many more birds in order to make sure that there is a happy ending for them," Tsyrklevich said. "If we're not able to find homes for them, there is a very good possibility that they'll be destroyed."

In order to prevent that from happening, Tsyrklevich said they need people willing to adopt the birds and donations to cover the cost of caring for them in the meantime.

“To test everyone for diseases, to transport them to their homes, to house them, feed them, you know, take care of them, it's taking quite a bit of our resources," Tsyrklevich said.

Tsyrklevich said while there have been larger seizures of fighting roosters in Washington state, if they can find more homes for the birds, this has the potential to be the largest rescue of fighting birds in state history.

"Where the animals make it out alive and have the possibility to find homes and, in that way, kind of sets the standard for other rescues and shows that it is possible." Tsyrklevich said.

More information about how to adopt one of the rescued roosters is available here . People can also donate to help with the cost of the rescue on the Heartwood Haven website here .

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