Authorities are looking for a group of men who allegedly tried to smuggle a crate with 20 roosters into the United States.
Border Patrol agents told Action 4 News that the incident happened in the rural Starr County community of Escobares on Saturday evening.
Investigators said Border Patrol agents spotted a series of footprints leading from the Rio Grande.
Border Patrol agents followed the tracks and found a large crate with 20 roosters.
The birds are now in U.S. Department of Agriculture custody while their allegedly smugglers remain at large.
Authorities believe the roosters were being smuggled into the United States for illegal gambling or breeding.
Federal officials said roosters are known to carry a variety of diseases which may pose a threat to the poultry industry.
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