Rescued birds await fate as Metro investigates cockfighting case

By Ricardo Torres-Cortez

Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016 | 2 a.m.

The fate of hundreds of birds recovered Wednesday in a Metro Police animal-fighting investigation is yet to be determined, according to the Animal Foundation, which is housing them.

Also, seven dogs, described as puppies, in a "holding structure" at the east valley house where the investigation was taking place were found dead, Metro officer Jesse Roybal said. They had been alive at some point Wednesday when police were initially called.

Further details, including when the dogs were found, weren't immediately available Friday night, Roybal said.

On Wednesday, police arrested two brothers and boxed, caged and seized about 550 roosters and hens from their spacious home in the 4700 block of Stanley Avenue, near Nellis Boulevard and Owens Avenue.

The men — Silvester Salgado Gayton, 46, and Javier Salgado, 44 — were each booked on two counts of owning, training, promoting and selling an animal to fight, police said. Additional charges may be forthcoming, Detective Robert Sigal said.

Police found evidence that roosters were being bred and trained for cockfighting, which is illegal in Nevada, Sigal said.

Shelter and animal control officials will wait for Metro to conclude its investigation to decide the birds' future, the animal foundation said in a statement.

"Historically, humane euthanasia has been the final outcome of illegal fighting birds, but once the birds are cleared for final disposition, we will explore all viable and suitable options. We are looking into all options, and are hopeful that some of the birds can be saved," the statement read.

Efforts to curb animal fighting

Wednesday's operation, touted by Sigal as the biggest animal-fighting-ring breakup in the state's history, came on the heels of ramped up efforts by local authorities to combat animal cruelty.

It began with a bill sponsored in 2013, which transformed animal cruelty from a gross misdemeanor to a felony. Soon after, Metro and the Clark County District Attorney's Office joined efforts to better identify and prosecute offenders, Chief Deputy District Attorney Amy Ferreira said.

Cockfighting events have frequently taken place in the valley, but in the past had gone "unrecognized or unnoticed," she said.

The DA's office newly formed animal cruelty task force has kept staff busy. At least four cockfighting cases have been prosecuted in the past year, Ferreira said.

Blood buckets

Officers arriving at North Hopi Lane, near Bonanza Road and Nellis Boulevard in May, encountered dozens of people fleeing from a backyard. A neighbor had reported hearing roosters squawking loudly and people cheering and clapping.

Inside Eduardo Leyva's backyard shed, officers discovered a plywood cockfighting ring, buckets filled with a blood and water mixture, and "pieces" of roosters on the floor, police wrote in his arrest report.

Investigators also spotted about 20 bird carcasses. Roosters, hens and chicks comprised the 400 live birds found in pens, some of which had birds stacked by the dozens, the report said.

Evidence collected included "rooster fighting kits," which contained spurs and gloves, as well as vitamins often used in cockfighting, police said.

Leyva was arrested and charged with two counts of animal abuse, court records show. He posted bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 15. He told officers he was paid to host the fights.

It wasn't known how many of the event's viewers were arrested along with Leyva. Onlookers could face gross misdemeanor charges, according to the animal-cruelty law.

Wednesday's case

Further details on this week's ring, including how far the investigation has spread, were not available on Friday.

The animal foundation said about the birds: "We appreciate the community’s concern for these animals who have had a difficult life and entered our care through no fault of their own."

Oftentimes people don't understand what goes into animal fighting, Ferreira said. People who have had the "misfortune" of seeing and hearing, such as the sounds made by the animals as they're tearing "one another apart" do, she added.