9,000 Turkey Chicks Die After Airline Screw-Up

[matcom]

:cry:

<snip>

Officials at the Peninsula Humane Society are searching for homes for 40 turkey chicks that survived an airline flight on which 9,000 other baby turkeys died.

On July 13, a commercial breeder shipped 11,000 of the newborn chicks from Detroit to San Francisco International Airport using Northwest Airlines.

"They had specifically requested the boxes go on two separate flights," said Scott Delucchi, a spokesman for the Peninsula Humane Society and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in San Mateo. "But someone decided to put them all on the same flight."

The boxes containing the chicks, en route to a Fresno farm, were crammed into the cargo space, and thousands of the birds suffocated before they made it to SFO.

Of the surviving chicks, 2,000 were taken to their initial destination -- Zacky Farms in Fresno -- where they will be raised for consumption.

The airline later came across 40 live chicks that somehow had been left behind and contacted the Humane Society for help.

On Monday, Northwest Airlines issued a statement apologizing to the breeder and admitting that cargo personnel had mishandled the shipment. The breeder, Hybrid Turkeys in Canada, has filed a $104,000 claim with Northwest to cover the cost of the lost turkeys and shipping.

Meanwhile, the SPCA is investigating animal cruelty and will forward the findings to the San Mateo County district attorney's office.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/07/27/BAGDGK692C1.DTL

[LeftyMom]

1. Poor things

Still, they had a better death than they'd have had after a short life of suffering in a factory farm and a few of thier brothers escaped to what will hopefully be better lives.

I love turkeys. I hate to see them suffer so.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

3. either way, it's still fucking vile.

:cry:

[LeftyMom]

4. I know.

Poor babies. :(

[Xithras]

9. Zacky Farms is a free range operation.

They're not a small-scale organic by any measure, but they are a family owned operation that raises turkeys free-range, they don't inject hormones or chemicals into them, and generally speaking they treat their turkeys a LOT better than most of the bigger corporate bird companies. They tend to be a bit more expensive, but Zacky is the only turkey my family buys around the holidays (no local organic turkey farms around here).

Geez, I sound like a commercial :)

[LeftyMom]

13. They do offer a free-range line (Samuels brand)

but from what I could find most of thier business is not free-range. Just FYI.

[Xithras]

14. I don't know how correct that is.

All of the whole turkeys they sell are what they call "Prime Quality". I don't know if they use something different in their sliced meats, but I never buy those anyway. Supposedly all of their Prime Quality birds, whether Zacky or Samuels, are raised in the open air.

I've never bought a Samuels (very expensive for a turkey) but it is my understanding that the only real difference is the food they're given. The Samuels turkeys are given a higher quality grain diet to make them meatier.

I could be wrong, but this how I've always understood it.

[RedCloud]

2. Those stuffed passengers have some 'splaining to do...

[RevCheesehead]

5. I apologize in advance for what I am about to say.

"As God as my witness, I thought Turkeys could fly."














:hide:

[RedStateShame]

7. I was thinking the same thing!!!!!

Greatest WKRP episode!!

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[RevCheesehead]

8. Is that show out on DVD yet?

Because that's one that I'd invest in. :rofl:

[TommyO]

11. Highly unlikely that it will be released on DVD

from what I hear the music licensing would kill any chance of profitability. I probably wouldn't buy the series, but it would certainly find it's way into my Netflix queue.

[Lars39]

12. I found audio for it! :^)

http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:YN8qzyzvnZ0J:radio.about.com/library/blwkrpturkeydropaudio.htm+WKRP+Cincinnati+Turkeys&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2&client=firefox-a

[RevCheesehead]

15. Hey, Lars....

:yourock:

[Lars39]

16. I was hoping for video...

I just loved that show. :D

[RevCheesehead]

17. Me, too.

A guaranteed laugh in every episode. Just like the Bob Newhart Show. :)

[Lars39]

18. They really don't make shows like that anymore.

:sigh:

[RevCheesehead]

19. Which is why DVD collections are so important.

I currently have Hogan's Heroes (seasons 1-3), The Bob Newhart Show (seasons 1-3), season 1 of Murphy Brown, and seasons 2-3 of Monk... just because I love it so. :)

[Lars39]

20. I need to start making my christmas list now. :^)

[RebelOne]

6. The 2,000 that survived and are being taken

to the farm are still facing a cruel end. They will be raised and then slaughtered for consumption.

[ThomCat]

10. Shipping animals on an airplane

is cruel. Animals die in those cargo holds frequently. :(

Not that those chicks were destined for anything good regardless. I hope they find homes for the lucky 40.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

21. Dumbyass would say

What a shame. At least they weren't American.