VILLA PARK : Alleged Fighting Cocks Confiscated

Neighbors had long suspected that something was afoul in the small orange grove in the 10000 block of Center Drive. For years, they had heard roosters crowing at all hours of the day and night.

So, few neighbors were surprised this week when sheriff’s deputies discovered 70 roosters and 54 hens inside a barn and cited the property owner on misdemeanor charges of housing animals without a permit and possession of fighting birds.

Cockfighting paraphernalia was also found in the barn. Animal control officials suspected that the birds were being trained for fighting because of their clipped claws, which were ready to be mounted with steel fighting claws, said Sheriff’s Department spokesman Lt. Richard J. Olson.

The birds were confiscated Thursday night and were taken to an undisclosed location in Orange County, said Jack Edwards, director of Orange County animal control services.

“Contrary to previous reports, we’re not going to kill the birds,” Edwards said Friday. “The fate of the birds will be up to the courts. Until then, they will be kept alive and will probably be receiving better care than most birds.”

Donald Buzzo, 82, the owner of the property, said he was unaware of what was taking place there. The retired heavy machine operator, who lives in Orange, said he rented the property for $50 a month to a man whose name he can’t remember. He said he has owned the lot, which contains the barn and orange trees, since 1962.

“I knew there were chickens there, but I didn’t know they were being raised for cockfighting,” Buzzo said. “To tell you the truth, I’m glad they got that bunch out of there. I was sick and tired of them and didn’t know what to do. I wanted them off the property, but I’m an old man and I was afraid of retaliation.”

Neighbors, however, tell a different story. They say Buzzo has been a frequent visitor to the property throughout the years and was well aware of what was transpiring.

“He tries to plead ignorance, but he knows what’s going on,” said Elizabeth Stenger, whose back yard faces the lot.

This is not the first time birds kept for fighting purposes were found on Buzzo’s land. In 1976, sheriff’s deputies and animal control officers raided the same lot and discovered 66 illegal fighting cocks being trained in a barn, according to news reports at the time.

As far as the neighbors are concerned, the cockfighting birds have not been the biggest headache recently. Orril and Wanda Compton, who have lived next door to the property since 1976, said it was the steady stream of visitors and their cars that was a concern.

“We knew there were fighting cocks there,” Wanda Compton said. “But what we were complaining about was the disaster of that lot. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when my husband discovered there were several people there repairing cars and dumping oil.”

The Comptons then complained to authorities.

“We would have taken action sooner, but we were hoping that through attrition, the problem would go away,” Wanda Compton said. “Now that this has been brought out in the open, we’re going to monitor the situation. We’d really like to see the entire place leveled.”