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Kaporos, the annual chicken-swinging ritual that takes place before Yom Kippur, doesn’t start until Tuesday night, but, already, an activist has been arrested, and hundreds of chickens stacked in crates on the street have died.

Activist Arrested (photo: Yeshiva World News)

Wearing a Mercy For Animals t-shirt, an activist from New Jersey was arrested on Monday for allegedly stealing chickens from a “Kaporos Center” in Brooklyn. Authorities found the liberated chickens in his vehicle. Sadly, these animals, who had a brief taste of freedom in the back of a van, will most likely be used in the Kaporos ritual and then slaughtered.

Liberated chickens are free no more (photo: Yeshiva World News)

In a separate incident, Brooklyn resident Rina Deych, a founding member of the advocacy group working to end the chicken-swinging ritual, made the grisly discovery of hundreds of dead chickens stacked in crates, and she took footage with the hope that authorities would charge the perpetrators with animal cruelty.

Ms. Deych suspects that the chickens, who are deprived of food and water for several days, died of dehydration: “We just witnessed hundreds, possibly thousands of chickens dead in crates in Brooklyn. We called the police, but they would not take our report. NYPD is supposed to respond to animal cruelty and neglect cases.”

Ms. Deych’s video documentation of dead and dying chickens:

If you live in or near NYC, please attend one or more of the three anti-chicken swinging protests organized by the Alliance to End Chickens for Kaporos. The protests take place from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in Brooklyn, New York.

When a pig leaps out of a slaughter-bound truck, everyone – even pig eaters – prays that she escapes for good. We don’t know much about her, but we very much want her life to be spared.

By making a film that helps us get to know these animals more intimately and documents their dramatic transition from confinement to freedom, one animal rescuer hopes to convince carnivores to see all animals – not just the ones who escape – as individuals.

Farm sanctuaries are filled with pigs (and other animals) who “dodged a bullet” by leaping (or falling) to freedom. Why do some of us root for these pigs but eat the others?  Are they more deserving than those who didn’t have the courage or ability to jump?

The Onion, a newspaper that publishes satire, irreverently and effectively debunks the “humane slaughter” myth in an article entitled “We Raise All Our Beef Humanely On Open Pasture And Then We Hang Them Upside Down and Slash Their Throats.” The article contains many graphic zingers that expose the extreme cruelty inherent in modern-day slaughter. Example:

“When we shackle a chain to a hind leg of each of our cows and hoist its terrified, quivering frame 12 feet up to the rafters, we can see firsthand just how tender, meaty, and well-marbled its entire body is—and that means exceptional flavor for you and your family!”

Some might find the use of humor in an article about death to be tasteless, but perhaps this unconventional approach will reach open-minded meat eaters who haven’t given any thought to what actually happens to animals in slaughterhouses. Please read the article and share it on social media.

Several years ago, I heard an activist talk about the reaction she received when she was distributing free veggie dogs at a ball park. Some people said, “Eww. What’s in that?” to which she responded, “Grains, soy and vegetables, not to be confused with the lips and rectums in the other hot dogs.” In my 24/7 attempt to get people to eliminate or reduce their consumption of animals, I use that line all the time.  I wish, however, that I could use this video instead; pictures really do speak a thousand words. Not all hot dogs are made this way, but, hopefully, this footage will trigger some people to grill veggie dogs instead of mystery meat during their Labor Day BBQs.  Share it!