DISTURBING IMAGES: Chickens saved from horrible deaths at illegal abattoir
SANDTON – The Sandton SPCA recently rescued hundreds of chickens from an illegal abattoir in Hillbrow.
The Sandton SPCA rescued hundreds of chickens from a cruel death at an illegal abattoir in Hillbrow.
The operation took place on 27 July and the dedicated team of inspectors with assistance from the Edenvale, Johannesburg, Midrand Roodepoort and Krugersdorp SPCAs carried out the rescue.
This according to Jaco Pieterse, general manager at the Sandton SPCA who said 155 chickens were rescued from a basement in Hillbrow. He said the chickens were being kept in overcrowded conditions with no access to food or water and destined to be slaughtered in the most inhumane manner possible, with steak knives and other blunt knives.
“They are safe in our care,” he said.
“Sadly, we had to euthanise 20 of them on arrival – these chickens had broken wings, legs and other injuries and were being sold in this condition.
“The ammonia levels in the basement were so high that our staff could hardly breathe and their eyes were watering. The smell was overwhelming.”
Pieterse added that the birds had no ventilation or light in the basement where they were kept and they were destined to be sold on the side of the road in Hillbrow, Yeoville and other parts of the Johannesburg CBD.
The Yeoville police who were in possession of a warrant assisted the SPCA.
He said these birds were either end-of-lay hens or ex-breeding stock for broiler chickens that have no value to the commercial industry anymore and they are sold for next to nothing to the informal market.
“The main culprit here is actually the poultry industry that is trying to make their last cents out of the chickens that add no value to their farming just because they can no longer produce eggs. The humane thing these farmers could have done was to give these chickens a dignified death instead of selling them off as scrap to the informal market.”
The SPCA has carried out raids at these illegal abattoirs in Hillbrow before, Pieterse added, and unfortunately, the culprits responsible ran away and were not caught. “This is not the same abattoir and there are many illegal abattoirs in the area.”
He said they would ensure that the culprits responsible for causing these animals to suffer were brought to book.
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