Annual Report for 1995

To Our Members,

On behalf of United Poultry Concerns, I would like to thank each and every one of you very much for your tremendous support for our dedicated effort to establish more humane treatment of poultry and a healthier lifestyle in 1995. Thanks to your support in 1995, UPC:

• Hosted our powerful Fifth Annual Spring Mourning Vigil for Chickens in May in Bethesda MD to draw attention to the suffering of the millions of chickens slaughtered for the rotisserie trade at Boston Market and Chicken Out restaurants.

• Launched our international campaign to ban the Rooster Pull, a violent dismemberment sport in New Mexico in which live roosters are torn apart by men on horses. To draw public attention, UPC activists leafleted moviegoers in 7 major U.S. cities at the opening of Walt Disney's Pocahontas. This led to the article in The New York Times, June 24th, "In New Mexico, an Ancient Rite or a Blood Sport?" In response to our protest, the New Mexico Tourism Department announced it would remove all listings of rooster pulls from future editions of the New Mexico Vacation Guide.

• Rescued sixteen injured chickens from a major truck accident in Virginia in which thousands of chickens overturned on Interstate 95 on August 24th. Our swift and compassionate activism drew sympathetic coverage from The Washington Post, CBS Nightly News, and News Channel 8. The saved chickens were given prompt veterinary care and became permanent residents of our chicken sanctuary in Seneca MD.

• Published and distributed to teachers across the country over 2,500 UPC booklet catalogs REPLACING SCHOOL HATCHING PROJECTS: Alternative Resources & How to Order Them. We sent complimentary copies of our booklet to every County Science Coordinator in the State of Maryland and to every State Science Supervisor in the United States.

• Held a 3-day exhibit at the National Science Teachers Association Convention in Baltimore MD where we distributed over 1,000 school hatching alternatives booklets and other educational materials to participating teachers.

• Sponsored our hugely successful Thanksgiving vegetarian dinner in Frederick MD. Our dinner received rave reviews in Frederick- area newspapers.

• Held a gala book-signing presentation in November on vegetarian alternatives to turkey at Borders Books & Music in Rockville MD. It featured a gourmet table, video showing, and UPC's highly popular cookbook Instead of Chicken, Instead of Turkey: A Poultryless "Poultry" Potpourri.

• Attended the First North American Poultry Welfare Symposium in Alberta Canada in August, resulting in our campaign against the use of nasal implants in young male chickens used for breeding.

• Distributed 10.000 UPC brochures, Nowhere to Hide, at the California State Fair, August 18-September 4th, in Sacramento, protesting the ostrich and emu trade in which birds are plucked alive before slaughter.

• Successfully picketed the annual Maryland Gamefowl Breeders Association Crabfeast in August in Baltimore MD. The excellent coverage in The Baltimore Sun emphasized the fact that cockfighting is not only cruel but illegal in the State of Maryland.

• Halted an American Honda ad which suggested that a Honda Prelude may be used to run over chickens. Responding to our massive letter-writing campaign, Honda announced: "We have taken immediate steps to stop circulation of the ad."

• Displayed a giant Metrorail poster throughout the month of September in 25 Metrorail stations in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and Montgomery County MD. The Call of the Wild is in His Heart Too! informed thousands of Washington area commuters and out-of-town visitors that chickens are excluded from any form of welfare protection in the United States.

• All this and much more was accomplished with your help in 1995. From all of us here at United Poultry Concerns, we thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Karen Davis
President