The Humane Society of the United States and the ASPCA invite you to participate in the California Humane Lobby Day in Sacramento, where you can speak
up for chickens!
http://action.humanesociety.org/site/Calendar/1698592818?view=Detail&id=101681
The Issue
Although cruelty to all animals (including poultry) is officially prohibited under the general provisions of California Penal Code 597, a special
section 597.3 of the Code, regulating live animal markets, excludes birds defined as “poultry” from the animals it covers. For this reason,
the San Francisco District Attorney’s office will not prosecute the vendors for cruelty to chickens, claiming there is no legal means to
prosecute.
California Penal Code Section 597.3 states: “‘Animal’ means frogs, turtles, and birds sold for the purpose of human consumption, with
the exception of poultry.” See http://law.onecle.com/california/penal/597.3.html.
Roosters and hens are particularly victimized by the vendors, who handle them violently, keep them in filthy, crowded crates, with dirty food and water
containers, or no food or water at all, and stuff them alive into bags for customers to take away and treat however they please.
What You Can Do
If you are a California resident, please click on
http://action.humanesociety.org/site/Calendar/1698592818?view=Detail&id=101681
And sign up to lobby at the State Capitol in Sacramento on Thursday April 8, 2010.
Urge your California Assembly Members to amend CA Penal Code 597.3 to cover chickens and all poultry the same as other animals under CA Penal Code 597.
Please make California Humane Lobby Day a lobbying day for the chickens. For information about the abuse of chickens by San Francisco live animal
vendors, click on www.upc-online.org/livemarkets/.
