Press Releases

Eleven Turkey Poults Find Refuge at Farm Sanctuary

Turkeys Survive Northwest Airlines Cargo Disaster that Killed Over 9,000 Baby Turkeys; Farm Sanctuary Calls for Cruelty Charges to be Filed

Orland, CA - August 4, 2006 - Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal shelter and advocacy organization, has welcomed 11 young turkey poults to its Orland, CA shelter. These turkeys were among over 11,500 birds transported from Detroit to San Francisco via Northwest Airlines. Upon arrival at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on July 13, Northwest employees discovered that over 9,000 of the birds perished in transit from Detroit to SFO. According to the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA (PHS/SPCA), who were first to take in the surviving birds, they "believe the massive loss was due to overcrowding. The turkeys couldn't breathe, became overheated, dehydrated and died." Approximately 1,900 surviving birds were sent to their final destination, in order to become "breeder" birds, whose offspring would be sold for food.

One week after this initial disaster, Northwest Airlines again called the PHS/SPCA to pick up more birds, dead and dying from a subsequent flight, who were apparently meant to replace the original shipment of birds. Zacky Farms, the intended recipient of the birds from both shipments from Hybrid Turkeys, the supplier, left behind an estimated 3,240 birds, most dead or dying when they arrived in San Francisco. When PHS/SPCA investigators arrived on the scene, 26 of the 28 boxes of poults had been thrown into a trash compactor by Northwest Airlines' cargo workers. Of the two remaining boxes, investigators found 22 of 62 chicks alive. Unfortunately, all but one died.

Farm Sanctuary has sent a letter to the San Mateo County District Attorney's office, encouraging it to bring animal cruelty charges against Northwest Airlines. In addition, Farm Sanctuary has sent a letter to Northwest Airlines, calling for changes in the company's policies on live animal shipments.

"Turkeys and other birds are living creatures, not inanimate commodities, and their deaths should not be calculated merely as an economic loss," said Gene Baur (formerly Bauston), president of Farm Sanctuary. "Each of these animals has the capacity to feel pain just as a cat or dog would. To treat these animals as basic cargo, with no regard for their welfare is cruel and outside the bounds of acceptable conduct in a society that values compassion."

The bird-shipping industry has a poor track record of ensuring animal welfare. It ships millions of birds across the country via postal mail or as cargo aboard airlines, and countless numbers perish from heat extremes, overcrowding and deprivation of food and water. Last year, Farm Sanctuary rescued over 100 baby chicks, who were found dying during a cross-country shipment in the postal mail.

Farm Sanctuary is opposing legislation (S. 2395), introduced by Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), that would remove the U.S. Postal Service's discretionary authority and force it to accommodate the baby bird and cockfighting industries at the expense of the animals' lives. S. 2395 would: 1) Compel the USPS to require certain airlines to transport birds (currently this is optional for airlines); 2) Require those airlines to transport birds through connecting cities, not necessarily on direct flights; and 3) Require those airlines to transport birds in any temperature condition between 0 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

"These 11 tiny survivors are the lucky ones," said Leanne Cronquist, Farm Sanctuary's Orland, CA shelter manager. "They've escaped death at the hands of a shipping industry that regards them as basic cargo, and they've escaped a life forced into unnatural breeding practices." To meet consumer demand for breast meat, commercial turkeys have been bred to have abnormally large breasts. As a result, the birds cannot mount and reproduce naturally, and the industry now relies on artificial insemination as the sole means of reproduction.

Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.