FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Several families are claiming that roosters are being poached from their Fort Lauderdale neighborhood.
One of those residents even confronted an apparent thief.
Those residents also say they know why their roosters are being taken.
Lin Morgan loves her neighborhood roosters. She loves them so much, she has names for them.
It’s why she and some of her neighbors got worried when some started to suddenly vanish.
“The first one he took I called Arnie,” Morgan said. “Quite sure he’s dead by now or has been in a fight by now.”
One neighbor recently recorded cell phone video of a man they believe is the culprit.
“They always have a bait rooster with them,” Morgan said. “They let them fight for a little bit until they tire out, then they take them away.”
Morgan said when she confronted a man trying to grab one of the birds a few days ago, she was threatened.
“‘We’ll be back to get your roosters and I don’t care how old you are, we’ll be back to get you as well,’” she repeated. “And they threw water bottles at me.”
Residents in the South Middle River neighborhood think they know what the roosters are being snatched for: an alleged cockfighting ring.
“One officer that I talked to said that it’s possibly right in this neighborhood,” Morgan said.
That’s why she’s been posting flyers up and down her block, offering a $5,000 reward for information.
“It’s a blood sport,” she said. “And I want to get the people involved.”
Fort Lauderdale Police said they are well aware of what’s been going but because these are neighborhood roosters, there is no crime committed on the video and so far, they have no solid evidence of cockfighting in the neighborhood.
Anyone with information is urged to contact police or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.