Animal rights activists, dressed as factory workers, take chickens from Petaluma Poultry facility
Animal activists dressed as poultry factory workers and took 17 chickens off the property of Petaluma Poultry's facility in Petaluma, Calif. on Tuesday, June 13, 2023.
PETALUMA, Calif. - In the darkness of dawn, animal rights activists, dressed as factory employees, went onto the property of Petaluma Poultry's farm in Petaluma early Tuesday morning for what they called an "open rescue." They left with 18 chickens, which they said were sick and maltreated.
The activists accused Perdue Farms subsidiary Petaluma Poultry of criminal animal cruelty and said that an investigation has shown birds have suffered "rampant abuse and disease" and have been subject to numerous actions of animal cruelty, including chickens being scalded alive and left to die slowly.
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Animal rights activsts went into the property of Petaluma Poultry in Petaluma, Calif. and took 18 birds as part of a protest on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. (Direct Action Everywhere)
The group said Tuesday morning’s actions involved activists grabbing 11 birds, identified as "sick," from poultry containment crates on trucks. The animals were sent to receive emergency medical care, animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) said.
Protesters then "rescued seven birds from a transport truck stopped along the way to the slaughterhouse," organizers said.
The group said there have been documented instances of "birds collapsed on the floor or stuck on their backs and unable to walk to food or water, left to slowly starve to death; birds with splayed legs; birds with open wounds." DxE added that there has been evidence of birds with infectious diseases which "threaten public health."
Animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere took more than a dozen chickens from Petaluma Poultry's farm factory in Petaluma, Calif. on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. The group released a report and photos of what it called "rampant abuse and disease" at t (Direct Action Everywhere)
The group said the findings demonstrated clear violations of the state’s animal cruelty law California Penal Code Section 597.
The protest was livestreamed on Facebook and the group said activists who heard about the action then showed up at the site, resulting in a large group of almost 200 activists gathering at the property for what it called a peaceful demonstration.
"The public deserves to see what's happening here, and the animals deserve to be rescued and treated," said DxE member Zoe Rosenberg.
In a statement to KTVU, Perdue denied the allegations and blasted the protesters' actions as dangerous to themselves, to the factory employees, and to the animals.
"The safety of our associates and the welfare of the animals in our care is our top priority," said Perdue Farms Chief Animal Care Officer and Farmer Relationship Advocate Mike Levengood. "By trespassing at our facility, DxE put our associates, animals, and themselves in harm’s way. Their actions on our property were not only dangerous and illegal, but unwarranted and grossly misinformed."
The statement also said that the company continued to maintain open dialogues with "credible animal welfare organizations," that it consistently sought improvement of animal care at its farms and that it operated in adherence to existing laws.
"We comply with all state and federal animal welfare regulations, continue to enhance our protocols every year, and conduct a thorough investigation into any allegation of animal mistreatment," Levengood said.
Animal rights activists took 18 chickens off the property of Petaluma Poultry on Tuesday, June 13, 2023 protesting alleged animal cruelty violations at the Petaluma, Calif. site. (Direct Action Everywhere)
Organizers said their protest was also aimed at Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez, whom they called on to prosecute Petaluma Poultry for what they called "documented criminal animal cruelty and infectious diseases that are endangering public health."
KTVU reached out to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office for a statement. The DA's office said it was aware of the group's actions Tuesday morning but had no comment at this time.
There were no arrests as a result of the protest.
Direct Action Everywhere provided this photo of a chicken that was taken off Petaluma Poultry's farm on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. The group said the chicken has been named Iris. (Direct Action Everywhere )