A policeman has been killed by a rooster while carrying out a raid on an illegal cockfight in the Northern Samar province, according to Philippines media.
Christine Bolok, the officer was cut on his left thigh by a razor-sharp steel blade attached to the leg of the roosters as is part of the game for the roosters to be armed with blades attached to their feet.
The police lieutenant died on arrival at the hospital as he did not survive the bleeding from his femoral artery. Cockfighting, a common sport in the Philippines, outlawed in the Asian country, was only allowed in licenses cockpits on Sundays and holidays and during local fiestas but could only last a maximum of three days, according to The Philippines News Agency (PNA).
“I could not believe it when it was first reported to me. This is the first time in my 25 years as a policeman that I lost a man due to a fighting cock’s spur,” police chief Arnel Apud told AFP. He said the accident was “a piece of bad luck that I cannot explain.”
Arnel also sent his “deepest sympathy” to the victim’s family, according to PNA. Three people were arrested while two other suspects remain at large. Seven fighting roosters, two sets of gaff and 550 Philippine Peso were also confiscated.
