By pattrice jones | Coordinator, VINE Sanctuary
Last night at sunset, I had the uniquely moving experience of standing back to watch as a rooster recently rescued from cockfighting gingerly stepped into a coop in which other roosters were already resting and flew up to a perch to take himself to bed in their company.
Carmine is one of 100 roosters we recently rescued. Seized by authorities from a breeder of birds for cockfighting, all would have been put to death if we had not answered the call to take them by a set date.
From their bodies and behavior, we can see that many of these roosters had been in the cockfighting ring while others had been prepared for fighting but probably had not yet been in the ring. Others are younger birds who endured the chronic frustration and social isolation of the situation in which they were housed but had not experienced the acute trauma of a cockfighting event.
Many of the latter will be going to other sanctuaries as soon as transport can be arranged. All of those who are most traumatized will be staying here at VINE for rehabilitation and integration into our flocks. For some, that process will be long and slow. For others, like Carmine, it will go quickly.
Roosters fight when their very sensitive danger detectors tell them that they are or might be under attack. Like all of these birds, Carmine arrived in a state of high agitation, ready to fight for his life. But after only about a week of spending time within his own enclosure in a coop occupied by relaxed birds living their own lives, he was able to relax and ready to join them. Like many former fighters, he prefers to use distance to keep the piece, breakfasting with other birds but then spending most of the day by himself in a favorite spot by the pigeon aviary.
Now, another rooster has moved into the rehab enclosure in Carmine's coop. We cannot know how long it will take him to relax and learn the social signals he will need to navigate flock life.
Because the rehab process is so variable, we've never before taken in so many roosters all at once. The situation is very stressful, for sanctuary staff and for the roosters who must wait in temporary quarters as we rehab or rehome the birds one by one and two by two.
In recognition of the extraordinary fortitude shown by sanctuary staff (and the extraordinary expenses we have incurred) a longtime friend of the flock has stepped up with a challenge grant: She will match up to $5K in individual donations to The Rooster Project, for a total of $10K for the new birds and our efforts to end cockfighting.
Thank you for your past support of The Rooster Project. If you haven't given recently, today would be a great day to give, knowing that your donation will be doubled. If you have given recently but can afford to give a little more, today would be a great day for that too!
Either way, please do encourage others to give. Visit The Rooster Project page and use the buttons to share on Facebook or Twitter, along with a few words about why YOU support The Rooster Project.
Ready to do more? Click the "Start a Fundraiser" button to set a goal for yourself and invite members of your own flock to contribute!
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By pattrice jones | Coordinator, VINE Sanctuary
By pattrice jones | Coordinator, VINE Sanctuary
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