Pigs and Fighting Roosters Seized in Ecuadorian Prison

QUITO - Ecuadorian security forces have seized pigs, fighting roosters, and weapons with sharp blades (such as machetes) from a high-security wing of a prison in the city of Santo Domingo, according to the country's army.

Images circulated on Twitter by the army showed two pigs being removed from the prison. The authorities also confiscated twelve fighting roosters, 26 weapons with sharp blades, and 16 electrical devices, as reported by the army.

It is unclear how the animals ended up in the prison, but it is known that prisoners in Ecuador obtain prohibited items, including firearms and explosives, through bribery.

Prisons in Ecuador suffer from poor conditions and violence, with the latter usually stemming from conflicts between rival gangs. The prisons are overcrowded, and there is a shortage of guards. Since February 2021, multiple massacres have occurred in the country's prisons, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of inmates.