Rescued from cockfighting rings, Washington animal rescue on blitz to rehome roosters
YAKIMA COUNTY, Wash. - Over the past few months, Heartwood Haven has turned negative news coverage into a positive change for how the state handles cockfighting ring busts.
Earlier this year, FOX 13 Seattle uncovered how Yakima County deputies opened fire and killed more than 60 roosters that were supposed to be rescued and rehomed by Heartwood Haven.
Since then, multiple law enforcement agencies have started to turn to Heartwood Haven asking if they could rehome roosters from recent busts. The group has rehomed more roosters in the past month than any other group has in the history of our state.
It’s an exciting, albeit exhausting, time for the small team.
"What’s happening now is that we’re probably seeing all the birds that normally would be euthanized," said Kate Tsyrklevich, Co-Founder of Heartwood Haven.
"We want to push the envelope in terms of what people think is possible. Because if everybody looks at this cockfighting bust with 100 roosters or 200 roosters, and says, 'it's not possible,' I could never do it. And then Heartwood Haven goes and does it. It shows everyone that, hey, this is possible, if we can take in 120 roosters and have them rehomed within a month, you know, others can do it too, and at the very least, they can take in a few."
Tsyrklevich told FOX 13 Seattle that she believes their latest rescue is the largest in the history of the state.
The calls have been coming in so quickly, she had to rent a van and drive around the country to drop off rescue roosters at various animal sanctuaries that had space.
From an interview on the road, Tsyrklevich reported that she’d just dropped off more than a dozen birds in Kentucky. Her next stop: New Jersey.
The bigger concern, however, is that this will quickly become an impossible task. The added exposure has made it clear: many roosters were quietly being euthanized, meaning the victims of animal abuse were being put to death instead of being rescued.
Tsyrklevich and her team are exploring options, including connecting with legislators to lobby stricter penalties that would make it harder on criminal enterprises to organize cockfighting rings.
If you’d like to help Heartwood Haven by adopting a rooster or through a donation, click here. If you end up adopting a rooster, please send us pictures or video of you with your new feathered friend so we can feature you in an upcoming segment.
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