In intensive turkey farms, thousands of birds are crammed into a single, windowless building (known as a grow-out shed) and forced to stand in accumulated faecal waste and breathe in ammonia fumes. Birds experience agonising pain when portions of their beaks and toes are severed without anesthesia to prevent the animals from injuring each other in the over crowded quarters. Typically, commercial turkeys are bred to grow at an alarmingly rapid rate, resulting in permanent health problems for the birds. Then, after having endured 14-18 weeks in these conditions and reaching 'slaughter-age', turkeys are transported for slaughter in large trucks filled with overcrowded cages, enduring all types of weather conditions. At the slaughterhouse, the fully conscious birds are hung by their legs and their throats are slashed. In October/November 2003 Californian based animal rights group East Bay Animal Advocates conducted animal rescues at two turkey farms in California’s Central Valley. Each year nearly 18 million turkeys are slaughtered in California alone. The rescues were successful in saving seven turkeys from this horrible fate. Many appalling injuries were seen in the rescued birds, these included; splay-leg disorder, coccidiosis, loss-of-sight, eye infections, bloody fecal specimens and acute head and neck lesions. The group’s Animal Bureau of Investigations Team stayed inside the sheds for ten to fifteen minutes, taking pictures and gathering a handful of young turkeys for rescue. Christine Morrissey, the group’s founder and spokeswoman, said that the sting of ammonia and faeces inside the barn overwhelmed the group as they waded through inches of excrement and hay. Media coverage of this rescue included KPIX-CBS Channel 5 in the San Francisco Bay Area (November 19, 2003), Oakland Tribune (November 23, 2003), San Mateo Times (November 23, 2003), and Fremont Argus (November 26, 2003). Turkey investigation footage from this rescue is available at www.eastbayanimaladvocates.org. Click on any photo for larger version To receive future rescue notifications enter your e-mail address below.
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