FEATURE-Amid bird flu, activists plead for humane US culling
05 Jun 2006 12:00:11 GMT
Source: Reuters

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES, June 5 (Reuters) - Horrified by reports from Asia of chickens being set on fire or buried alive in plastic bags, U.S. animal welfare groups are gearing up with trepidation for the arrival of bird flu and the probability of mass killings to contain it.

Animal rights activists have campaigned for years against the cramped conditions for billions of chickens, turkeys and ducks on U.S. factory farms.

Now, as experts suspect the deadly H5N1 virus could find its way from Asia to Alaska this summer, they are lobbying the food industry and U.S. state veterinarians to conduct the expected slaughter of millions of poultry humanely.

Americans who keep small backyard flocks are also desperate to ensure their chickens and ducks will not be swept away in the general hysteria.

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