Klein Secures New Home for Rooster Rescued From Cockfight

Bird to be Delivered to Recovery Sanctuary

BRONX, NY – State Senator and Deputy Majority Leader Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) announced on Friday that he has secured a safe, long term home for an abused rooster recently rescued from a South Bronx cockfight. The owner of the Hollywood Haircuts barber shop on City Island has been rehabilitating and caring for the rooster, Coco, since his rescue earlier this year. Following the press conference, Klein’s office delivered the rooster to its new home at the Berkshire Bird Paradise Sanctuary in Petersburg, NY.

“Cockfights are an abusive and horrendous practice that has no place in the Bronx or anywhere else in this city. I am extremely pleased that we were able to find a good home for this rooster where he can live safely while becoming reacquainted with other birds in a natural and healthy habitat,” said State Senator and Deputy Majority Leader Jeffrey D. Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester).

Klein’s office was first contacted in July by a concerned City Island resident who noticed a rooster running around in the street in front of the Hollywood Haircuts barber shop on City Island Avenue. The resident was troubled by the animal’s noise level and the safety threat it posed to drivers. Klein’s office immediately reached out to the barber shop to determine why it was letting a farm animal loose on a public street. Alex Mullokandov, an employee at the shop, had the answer.

“The ASPCA recovered five of these guys, and so I got one that was really, really sick. I know a lot about birds from growing up in Russia, so I recovered him and he’s now healthy and looking beautiful. I want him to be on a farm,” said Alex Mullokandov of Hollywood Haircuts.

According to Mullokandov, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) rescued five roosters from a cock fighting operation in the South Bronx earlier this year. While Mullokandov was caring for Coco temporarily, he was not able to keep it permanently in his apartment or the shop. Klein’s office stepped in began reaching out to area farms to find the rooster a home.

Upon learning of the rooster, Riverdale resident Isabelle Weisinger immediately called Klein’s office to let them know about the Berkshire Bird Paradise Sanctuary. Weisinger became familiar with the sanctuary a few years ago when a bird in her neighborhood was in need of a new home.

“We have a very large sanctuary with birds from all over the world. When the rooster arrives, we will make sure the he is compatible with other birds and we will gradually introduce him to them. We have had cockfighting roosters brought to us before, and they have done very well.,” said Pete Dubacher, owner of the Berkshire Bird Paradise Sanctuary.

To report animal cruelty, contact the New York City ASPCA at (212) 876-7700.