|
Washington Post writer Tamara Jones provided an in-depth
look at United Poultry Concerns and its founder-president, Dr.
Karen Davis, in "For the Birds," a huge 3-page spread in the
Sunday Style Section on November 14th. The article, which is
posted permanently on UPC's website at www.upc-online.org, quoted
UPC's president extensively, as in this excerpt about chicken and
turkey slaughter:
"'The stun cabinet is used to immobilize the birds, not
render them unconscious at all. We're talking about a method that
is basically pure torture. . . .
"'Birds move toward the killing knife with the sensation of
severe electric shocks added to their other agonies. Then they go
on to the neck-cutting machine. . . . They go through a round,
rotating blade. It's supposed to cut their carotid arteries,
which deliver oxygenated blood to the brain, upon which
consciousness depends. But if they don't hit the carotid and the
backup person doesn't tend to the bird properly, they might slice
the jugular. This is agony--conscious torment. They're
deliberately kept alive till the scald tank to keep their hearts
beating. They go into the bleed-out tunnel and hang there for
about 90 seconds, bleeding out upside down with their half-cut
necks. . . ."
|
"Once, a neighbor's dog stole into the yard and killed a
rooster Davis cherished. As she sat by herself weeping over the
loss, a hen named Sonja approached. 'I leaned down and she buried
her head in my neck and I did likewise,' Davis recalls. 'I put my
arms around her. Chickens will purr like a cat, a little trilling
sound. She stood there for a long time. She knew I was sad. She
restored my soul. . . .
"'I wished I could stay in that moment forever.'"
| |
- "For the Birds," The Washington Post, Nov 14, 1999, F5
|
United Poultry Concerns is deeply grateful to Tamara Jones
and The Washington Post and to Washington Post photographer Frank
Johnston. UPC also wishes to thank Joseph Cacchioli and The Daily
Times of Salisbury Md for the inspiring Nov 28th feature article
about United Poultry Concerns and our rescued chickens, "For love
of the birds" in the Delmarva Section. "For the birds" and "For
love of the birds" is what United Poultry Concerns is all about.
LIFE AND DEATH:
At left, Karen Davis hugs Angel the hen. On the right, helpless birds at a
Tyson slaughter plant in Richmond, VA can only watch with
empty eyes as death approaches.
Click on either image for a bigger version.
|
