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“We’ve been calling them all ‘Pretty Bird,” said Rebecca Burton, the vice-president of operations at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison, which handles distressed animals.
“There are approximately 50 birds not spoken for by adopters or being transferred out to our shelter partners," Burton said.
A few "have signs of old wounds and scarring in the eyes," she said. Otherwise, the roosters are in fine fettle.
One just went to a shelter partner, the Animal Welfare Association in Voorhees, and will be adopted, Burton said.
Meanwhile, she said, St. Hubert’s staff "are learning how to handle these smart and fragile animals as they work on re-homing options"
The roosters were rounded up after Paterson police out in a series of drug raids stumbled up a major cockfighting ring at the end of a dead-end street and brought to St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center.
SEE: Drug-Raiding Paterson Police Uncover Major Cockfighting Ring: 50 Roosters, Steroids, More
St. Hubert’s operates animal shelters through North Jersey and provides pet adoption, humane education, a pet food pantry, low-cost spay/neuter of community cats, a pet helpline, a professional educational series and animal rights advocacy, among other services.
It spends 86.1% of its total expenses on programs/services and scored a 98.23% on overall financial accountability and transparency, according to Charity Navigator, which rated St. Hubert's among New Jersey's Top 10 charities last year.
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