Many die but Atlas and his 37 friends live

(de Nederlandse versie van het verhaal van Atlas, Aurora, Hendrix, Otis, Gordy, Daisy, Matt en Lenny is hier te lezen)

"Last year, Compassion Over Killing sent an undercover investigator with a hidden camera into the Cal-Cruz Hatchery in California to document the treatment of the ducklings and chicks being processed there. What he found was incredibly disturbing. Baby birds deemed unfit for production were brutally discarded, crushed in disposal units, decapitated and mangled in machinery, and left to die slowly in buckets already filled to the brim with sick, weak and injured birds, among many other horrors.  

Shortly after the video was shot, it was passed on to the Santa Cruz Animal Services Authority. Another investigation was mounted, the results of which supported the evidence that animal abuse was occurring at Cal-Cruz. Subsequently, 88 ducklings were seized from the location, but many were in such terrible condition that they had to be humanely euthanized. Thirty eight of the remaining survivors, however, found safe refuge at  Farm Sanctuary, where they received a second chance at life.

When they arrived at our California Shelter, life immediately started to look up for these lucky ducks. After a relaxing stay with us in our sanctuary hospital, many of the ducklings were adopted out through our Farm Animal Adoption Network (FAAN), relocating to homes far away, both geographically and emotionally, from the place of their abuse.

Eight of the tiny survivors remained with us. They have grown into beautiful and healthy adult ducks, a feat tragically not possible for thousands of their fellow ducklings in hatcheries around the country. Like all ducks, they are incredibly social and spend their days close together in the sun or swimming in the nearest pond. Their liveliness and friendliness conceals their gruesome past, but highlights how resilient animals can be and how important second chances are.

Daisy and Gordy are two particularly stand-out members of the flock. Daisy’s beak may be disfigured, but she has dealt really well with her disability and gets along just fine. When it's time to eat, she skillfully digs her bill into the food bowl and scoops out as much as possible. She spends most of her time in our main pond with fellow hatchery escapees, Matt and Lenny. Because of her misshapen beak, Daisy makes nasal sounds when breathing which make her easy to find in a crowd! Because of minor health concerns, Gordy isn’t currently able to hang out with Daisy and the others so she spends her days with another survivor named Otis in a neighboring location. Incredibly boisterous, she always fluffs up her feathers and talks (loudly!) to every passerby.

 
The adorable Daisy duck.

The remaining three, Atlas, Aurora and Hendrix, also hang out with Daisy, Matt and Lenny in the main pond. Atlas and Aurora used to lived separately from our main group of ducks due to an initial health concern. But since then, they have been integrated into the flock and made friends with Hendrix. The three are inseparable.

Though their lives now are full of sunshine, big ponds and friends, the tragedy they escaped should not be forgotten. Similar abuse occurs every day in hatcheries, and we must keep in mind that this type of cruelty is widespread.  An MFA investigation at the world's largest egg-laying breed hatchery, released earlier last year, also revealed shocking conditions - including the standard egg industry practice of dumping live male chicks into grinding machines. 

If it weren’t for the support of our members, the rescue of these ducklings would not have been possible. If you would like to play a part in future rescue efforts, and help protect farm animals everywhere from cruelty, please donate to the Emergency Rescue Fund! "

About Farm Sanctuary:

When Farm Sanctuary's investigative and advocacy campaigns uncover cruelty at factory farms, stockyards and slaughterhouses, its'  Emergency Rescue Team helps bring the animals to safety.  At their 175-acre shelter in upstate New York and 300-acre shelter in northern California, Farm Sanctuary provides lifelong care and rehabilitation to farm animals rescued from cruelty and neglect.

Throughout the last 20 years, Farm Sanctuary has played a significant role in hundreds of rescues, providing rehabilitation and permanent sanctuary to abused farm animals from cruelty cases across the U.S. Through the years, more than 8,000 animals have called Farm Sanctuary home, and we have found safe and loving placement for almost 3,000 more.

Back to poultry