Chinese police break up underground dog-fighting ring run by pensioners
Group detained on suspicion of allowing illicit gambling although dog fights are permitted under Chinese law
Police have busted an underground dog-fighting ring, organised by a group of retired people in southern China, a local newspaper has reported.
Over 200 police officers surrounded a fight earlier this month, and 92 people were rounded up for taking part in illegal gambling activities, after a six-month investigation, according to the Southern Legal newspaper. Police also seized 32 dogs and over 320,000 yuan (US$51,000) in cash.
The ring was set up in an agricultural district on the edge of Shantou in Guangdong province and has been in operation since last May under the pretence of an “elderly person’s clubhouse”.
Gambling is illegal under Chinese law although dog-fighting is permitted and the country has no specific laws against animal cruelty.
The founder of the dog-fighting ring, a 64-year-old retired man surnamed Chen, rented a plot of land in his village in Chenghai district to build a 20 square metre (215 sq ft) arena surrounded by an iron fence and concrete seating.
The arena was reported to have staged up to three dog fights each Sunday afternoon for almost a year.