I have no idea if pitting animals against each other in fights to the death is at epidemic levels in Amarillo, but whenever I see reports of it, I go into fits of serious anger.

Amarillo police officers over the weekend raided a barn in the southeast part of the city. A group of hooligans ran from the site; the cops rounded up about 20 of them and booked a dozen of them into the Randall County jail on a misdemeanor charge of being spectators at this hideous event.

The police rounded up the birds and took them to the city’s Animal Management and Welfare office. Who knows now what’ll happen to the birds? If they’re euthanized, I’m quite sure they’ll leave this world in a far gentler fashion than what the idiots who pitted them against each other had in mind.

As the police said in a statement, “There is some indication that participants were charged to watch the fights.”

So, idiots charge others to watch this activity and even bigger idiots actually pay to see it happen. I guess, too, that they place wagers on which bird will still be strutting at the end of the fight.

You know, we think we live in a clean community. Most of it is. However, we do have this seedy side of life that exists out there. I’ve never been naïve to believe we don’t have such activity happening right under our gaze.

Still, hearing about it makes my blood boil.