"In February 2025, three individuals, including Chávez, were indicted for their roles in this animal-fighting venture, which violated the federal Animal Welfare Act. Alongside HSI, the case involved multiple agencies, including the Potter County Sheriff's Office, Texas State Game Wardens, the Amarillo Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which conducted the investigation, along with support from the Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center."
"Ultimately, the decision was made that these roosters had to be humanely euthanized. While that outcome is never easy, we find comfort in knowing that for the time they spent with us, they were shown compassion. They were fed, kept warm, spoken to gently, and allowed to simply exist as roosters-free from fear, pain, and expectation. Some days in this work are beautiful. Some days are heartbreaking. And some days remind us exactly why this work matter."
Salvador Sánchez Chávez, 49, received a custodial jail term after a wider gambling investigation into an Amarillo cockfighting ring uncovered federal Animal Welfare Act violations. The Dallas Field Office (Amarillo Resident Agency) of Homeland Security Investigations led the probe, supported by the Potter County Sheriff's Office, Texas State Game Wardens, the Amarillo Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In February 2025 three individuals, including Chávez, Ivan Herrera Lopez, and Jaime Gamez Resendiz, were indicted. The Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center reported that seized roosters were humanely euthanized after receiving compassionate care. Authorities noted that proceeds from cockfighting often fuel transnational criminal activity.
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