Police Bust Canary-Fighting Ring

By Corey • July 27, 2009 • 1 comment

I never knew that people would pit canaries against each other and gamble on them, but a canary-fighting ring centered in a Shelton, Connecticut home was broken up over the weekend. Nineteen people were arrested and charged with animal cruelty and illegal gambling. WVIT has a video report.

UPDATE: CNN says “police seized approximately 150 birds” in the raid. The birds were apparently Saffron Finches (Sicalis flaveola), a South American tanager, closely related to the seedeaters.

Tags: Asides

• Camping tents - Check out our pop up tents, family tents, Vango tents, and more! •

Explore These Related Posts

...Or These Blasts From The Past

About the Author

Corey

Corey is a New Yorker who has lived most of his life upstate but has spent the last three years in Queens. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy, their son, Desmond Shearwater, and their two indoor cats, Hunter and B.B.

One Response to “Police Bust Canary-Fighting Ring”

Patrick Jul 27th, 2009 at 11:39 am
WHAT?! I thought this was going to be a link to an article on The Onion.

Share Your Thoughts

Asides

3,500 And Counting On Facebook

Have you liked our Facebook page yet? If not, why not?

Birds in the Mossad?

Last year, vigilant Saudi Arabian officials detained an Israeli spy vulture yet apparently failed to foil the “Zionist espionage plot.” How else to explain the highly suspicious European Bee-Eater Turkish authorities are currently investigating. Damning evidence includes an Israeli bird band and unusually large nostrils. Birders of the world: if you see something, say something. (Hat-tip to Suzie Gilbert!)

Too Many Nene?

Hawaii’s state bird, the endangered goose known as the Nene, has recovered from a population of a mere 30 birds in 1952 to over 2,000 today. The problem is that they seem to find the area around Lihue Airport irresistible so they have to be moved. Clearly there aren’t too many Nene but more habitat is needed.

Well-Written Piece on Feral and Outdoor Cats

Jim Coufal, writing for the Madison County Courier in upstate New York, shares his thoughts on the feral and outdoor cat problem.