The Hollister Animal Shelter resources have been strained by housing 54 roosters collected in a late November raid at a home on Frazier Lake Road – with an additional six animals taken in during an arrest on Fairview Road on Dec. 7.
The county received an order for the humane euthanasia of the original 54 birds if they are not claimed by Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
Julie Carreiro, the shelter manager, said in an email that all of the roosters have to be housed in separate kennels.
“Housing cockfighting roosters puts a huge strain on the Animal Shelter as all the roosters must be housed individually because they will fight,” she said.
The 60 kennels used for the roosters left those spaces unavailable for dogs and cats. Since the local shelter took in the birds, the Monterey SPCA has been helping by taking adoptable animals “so that we can still house the incoming strays, without having to euthanize any adoptable dogs and cats.”
Of the 400 cockfighting roosters seized from Fairview Road during the arrest of three men, six were taken to the Animal Care and Services to be held as a represented sample, Carreiro said.
A San Martin man, listed as Agustin S. Medieta, 35, was arrested for possessing a fighting rooster and being a spectator during the Frazier Lake raid. The CHP found him about two miles away. He was holding a fighting rooster that he claimed had followed him, according to police.
Also arrested for being spectators were Bernardino Hernandez, 68, from Salinas; Jose R. Perez, 87, from Salinas; Pedro L. Hernandez, 45, from Gilroy; Gustavo G. Perez, 44, from Menlo Park; Roberto H. Jimenez-Santiago, 19, from Morgan Hill; and Erik D. Melero Villarreal, 28, from Menlo Park. They were all cited and released for the misdemeanor crime.
On Dec. 7, Hollister police arrested three Hollister men on suspicion of possessing the birds for cockfighting.
The suspects are Roberto Hernandez Ramirez, 30, Raul Botello Ramirez, 49, and Jesus Manuel Hernandez, 19.
They were booked into the San Benito County Jail with recommended charges of misdemeanor crimes for possessing game cocks for fighting, owning/training an animal for fighting, and cruelty to animals, according to police.
Hollister police, sheriff’s deputies and drug enforcement officers served the warrant at about 10 a.m. Dec. 7 at the property in the 4300 block of Fairview Road.
According to the police statement: “Approximately 400 total chickens were located on the property. Over 120 roosters were specially caged and being prepared for use in cockfighting. Criminal paraphernalia related to illegal cockfighting was also collected.”
