ARCHIVED - 89 found inside cockfighting venue in Seville with multiple infractions committed

Cockfighting is legal in Andalucía but only by following stringent animal welfare laws

In this case, police found over 30 infractions of various laws when inspecting the venue in Fuentes de Andalucia (Seville).

The Guardia Civil has reported a cockfighting venue in Fuentes de Andalucia, in Seville province, after finding 89 members of the public inside during a routine inspection and observing various incidences of welfare laws being ignored. The owners and punters face charges for a total of 30 offences.

Although cockfighting is allowed in Andalusia, there are various laws and regulations in place supposedly to avoid animal cruelty and ensure that the fights are carried out in accordance with article 4.2 Ley de la Comunidad Andaluza 11/2003 November 24 animal protection laws.

Although the venue was licensed to hold cockfights, officers found that the owners didn’t actually have the license on the premises. The organisers of the event will also be charged in relation to offences related to animal cruelty as there were several injured cocks that hadn’t received attention for wounds sustained in fights, and there were four dead cocks thrown in a bin in the kitchen. Some of the animals had also come from other parts of the country without the correct transportation documentation.

Food-handling rules were found to have been broken in the venue’s kitchen, which ran a snack service, as there were 15 pieces of out-of-date pork in the freezer, and one member of staff wasn’t qualified to handle and serve food to the public.

Citizen safety laws were being breached as a child under the age of 16 was found on the premises, and members of the public were also smoking inside. Five of those present were reported for illegal weapon possession as they were carrying knives.

Despite current border closures and restrictions on movement due to the pandemic, one of those at the venue was found to have come from Castilla-La Mancha, and six from Córdoba. To make matters even worse, another three were from Lora del Río, which although in Seville province was under perimeter lockdown due to its high number of coronavirus cases.

To top it all off, the police found that there were arrest warrants for two of those inside the venue, who were taken into custody and appeared before the courts.