Cops have busted a bird-brained scheme to pit canaries against one another.
About 100 saffron finches and a few canaries were found in a Shelton, Conn., home Sunday morning after police thwarted an apparent bird fighting ring.
Cops found the birds during a search of the property at 176 Ripton Road as part of an ongoing investigation into bird fighting at the location.
Some of the poor birds had previous injuries, including blindness in at least one eye, and may have to be euthanized, Wayne Kasacek, of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, said.
How the ring allegedly got the birds to fight is still a mystery, but the Web site “Keeping Pet Birds” warns about fighting canaries.
Breeders commonly have problems with their canaries fighting. Males can sometimes be aggressive with the female. The male’s abuse may even become life-threatening. Therefore, make sure you keep an eye on things and separate the two if you have to. You can help prevent fighting by keeping the two birds in adjacent cages until they get used to each other.
Nineteen people have been detained in connection to the investigation, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is detaining one of the men involved, Gilson Goncalves, 31. They were charged with cruelty to animals and gambling.
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The homeowner, Jurames Goulart, 42, was also charged with interfering with an officer after running and hiding from police in a locked room, police said.
