Cockfighters’ appeal dismissed

A Canarian Court has dismissed an appeal against Sergeant Gloria Moreno of the Guardia Civil’s Seprona department.

Earlier this year an Arrecife court rejected charges of illegal entry brought by the Teguise Cockfighting Association, who alleged that Sgt. Moreno had repeatedly entered their premises and taken “unauthorised images”. They also claimed she had falsely reported the presence of cockfighting apparatus, such as spurs and bloody cloths, on the premises, and that she had alleged that “bidding” had taken place. 

The association appealed the verdict, but the appeal was rejected by the Las Palmas Provisional Court on the grounds that there was no evidence that the sergeant had exceeded her duties of investigating possible animal cruelty.

The Canary Islands is one of the few places in Europe where cockfighting remains legal, although betting on fights is strictly forbidden. The practice was permitted to continue as a “traditional activity” in the 1991 Canarian law that prohibited bullfighting on the islands.