Close to 300 malnourished cockfighting roosters were euthanized on Tuesday following their discovery as part of an ongoing investigation into a fatal stabbing which took place in late July.

As reported by The Associated Press, local police secured a warrant to investigate a business property in Santa Paula, California, after receiving information that the unsolved stabbing had taken place there.

Once on the property, the police found hundreds of roosters in “terrible shape”, many of which were starving, according to Regina Wilcox, a rescue worker from the local animal rescue center who confirmed the subsequent euthanization.

While this case ended in tragedy for the innocent birds, it stands in contrast to a series of recent incidents where the tables were turned and it was humans partaking in this illegal blood sport who paid extreme prices.

In April of this year, in La Blanca, Texas, along the border with Mexico, three people were killed and eight more were wounded as a wild shootout broke out at a “pretty elaborate” site that had various fighting arenas and a concessions stand.

Stranger still is the July 2011 case of Jose Luis Ochoa, a known owner and trainer of cockfighting roosters in Central California, who died after a rooster stabbed him in the leg with a knife which had been fastened to its limb.

At the time, Sgt. Martin King, who had served 24 years with the local sheriff’s department told the Bakersfield Californian, “I have never seen this type of incident.”

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  • In this Friday, July 6 2012 photo, owner of a loosing rooster pays his bet as the cockfight judge removes sharp plastic spurs from the defeated bird at Las Palmas, a government-sponsored cockfighting club in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The island territoryÂ's government is battling to keep the blood sport alive, as many matches go underground to avoid fees and admission charges levied by official clubs. Although long in place, those costs have since become overly burdensome for some as the island endures a fourth year of economic crisis. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

  • In this Friday, July 6 2012 photo, gamecocks slated to fight are housed in cages before the start of a fight night at Las Palmas, a government-sponsored cockfighting club in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The island territoryÂ's government is battling to keep the blood sport alive, as many matches go underground to avoid fees and admission charges levied by official clubs. Although long in place, those costs have since become overly burdensome for some as the island endures a fourth year of economic crisis. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

  • In this Friday, July 6 2012 photo, a man bathes a winning gamecock at Las Palmas, a government-sponsored cockfighting club in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The island territoryÂ's government is battling to keep the blood sport alive, as many matches go underground to avoid fees and admission charges levied by official clubs. Although long in place, those costs have since become overly burdensome for some as the island endures a fourth year of economic crisis. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

  • In this Friday, July 6 2012 photo, gamecocks peek out from wooden boxes, where they are kept after their fight until they can be checked by a bird specialist, during a fight night at Las Palmas, a government-sponsored cockfighting club in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The island territoryÂ's government is battling to keep the blood sport alive, as many matches go underground to avoid fees and admission charges levied by official clubs. Although long in place, those costs have since become overly burdensome for some as the island endures a fourth year of economic crisis. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

  • In this Friday, July 6 2012 photo, the owner of an injured gamecock motions to stop a cockfight fight at Las Palmas, a government-sponsored cockfighting club in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The island territoryÂ's government is battling to keep the blood sport alive, as many matches go underground to avoid fees and admission charges levied by official clubs. Although long in place, those costs have since become overly burdensome for some as the island endures a fourth year of economic crisis. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

  • In this Friday, July 6 2012 photo, people shout out bets as a cockfight get underway at Las Palmas, a government-sponsored cockfighting club in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The island territoryÂ's government is battling to keep the blood sport alive, as many matches go underground to avoid fees and admission charges levied by official clubs. Although long in place, those costs have since become overly burdensome for some as the island endures a fourth year of economic crisis. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

  • In this Friday, July 6 2012 photo, a cockfight judge, left, taunts a gamecock with a fake stuffed rooster to get it riled before the start of a battle at Las Palmas, a government-sponsored cockfighting club in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The island territoryÂ's government is battling to keep the blood sport alive, as many matches go underground to avoid fees and admission charges levied by official clubs. Although long in place, those costs have since become overly burdensome for some as the island endures a fourth year of economic crisis. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

  • In this Friday, July 6 2012 photo, two gamecocks spar during a fight night at Las Palmas, a government-sponsored cockfighting club in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The island territoryÂ's government is battling to keep the blood sport alive, as many matches go underground to avoid fees and admission charges levied by official clubs. Although long in place, those costs have since become overly burdensome for some as the island endures a fourth year of economic crisis. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

  • In this Friday, July 6 2012 photo, men discuss the merits of gamecocks on display before the start of a fight night at Las Palmas, a government-sponsored cockfighting club in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The island territoryÂ's government is battling to keep the bloodsport alive, as many matches go underground to avoid fees and admission charges levied by official clubs. Although long in place, those costs have since become overly burdensome for some as the island endures a fourth year of economic crisis. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

  • In this Friday, July 6 2012 photo, people wait to register their gamecocks before the start of fight night at Las Palmas, a government-sponsored cockfighting club in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The island territoryÂ's government is battling to keep the blood sport alive, as many matches go underground to avoid fees and admission charges levied by official clubs. Although long in place, those costs have since become overly burdensome for some as the island endures a fourth year of economic crisis. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)