The Cyberactivist

Compassion Over Killing is one of my favorite groups simply because they are able to do so much with so few people and so few resources. They have done amazing work, both investigating and getting the media to cover their work, as well as doing great outreach work on the streets. They hand out free vegan food for people to try as they pass out leaflets. They have produced DVDs that have aired in many states on TV and had commercials airing on MTV.

This report is just one more great accomplishment of theirs.

It also brings to mind the speech I heard my friend Jim Mason give at the UPC Forum I spoke at. It is available on video through UPC, as are the ones of all the speeches given, including mine. You can find them here.

But, you can also read a shorter version of what he had to say about working for just one day at a turkey breeding facility online here.

It's not nearly as good as the speech he gave (which was much longer and more informative and interesting), but it is still quite informative and quite sad that we have done this to sentient beings.

But, back to the report. Did you know that turkeys can no longer mate successfully because of what the agribusiness industry has done to them? That is why they are all artificially inseminated. And, it is a terrible job. I hope that you take the time to read what Jim had to say about it. And I thought my job was bad!

Anyway, here are just a few facts from the report:

In the 1960s, it took 220 days to raise a 35-pound turkey. Due to selective breeding andgrowth-promoting drugs, it now takes only 132 days. While this rapid growth hasincreased producers' profits, it has contributed to a number of serious welfare problems,including skeletal, respiratory, and cardiovascular disease, as well as chronichunger in breeding stock. Animal scientist Dr. Ian Duncan has concluded, "Without a doubt, thebiggest welfare problems for meat birds are those associated with fast growth."
The most severe of these problems are skeletal diseases, such as hip lesions and tibialdyschondroplasia. One study found that between 7 and 28 percent of turkeys sufferedhip lesions, while 17 to 83 percent exhibited abnormal gait.( In tibial dyschondroplasia, an abnormal mass of cartilage extends across the tibia, causingbone deformity and lameness. Incidences as high as 73 percent have been reported inturkey flocks. Mortality due to skeletal diseases has ranged from 2.7 to 4 percent.
One animal scientist has argued that, due to skeletal disorders, "we must conclude thatapproximately one quarter of the heavy strains of broiler chicken and turkey are inchronic pain for approximately one third of their lives...[T]his must constitute, in both magnitudeand severity, the single most severe, systematic example of man's inhumanity toanother sentient animal."

Of course, there is more. Much more. But, even this small amount of information should make you think twice before eating one more bite of turkey meat. I mean, what we are doing is just shameful. There is absolutely no excuse for treating animals this way. And especially not simply because we enjoy the way they taste when there are so many alternatives available that taste the same and don't involve any cruelty at all.