Recently-released undercover video footage shows how U.S.-based live animal markets continue to cram animals into overcrowded floor-to-ceiling cages amid the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic.
An animal cruelty investigator from Animal Outlook, a Washington, D.C.-based animal welfare nonprofit, visited several live animal markets in southern California.
Wearing a hidden camera, the investigator captured shocking images of birds packed tightly together in wire cages stacked on top of each other, live chickens shackled upside down on slaughter lines, and feces and urine caked on floors in the facilities.
The investigator also observed rough, inhumane handling of animals by workers, who threw the birds around or dangled rabbits by their delicate ears.
Stressed animals have weakened immune systems, making them more susceptible to viruses and bacteria that thrive in the unsanitary and cruel conditions associated with factory farms and other live animal markets. Multiple studies, including a United Nations (UN) report published this July, have linked former zoonotic disease outbreaks, including swine and bird flus, to live animal markets and factory farms.
“Pandemics such as the COVID-19 outbreak are a predictable and predicted outcome of how people source and grow food, trade and consume animals, and alter environments,” the report noted.
Image via undercover footage from Animal Outlook.
As of December, the COVID-19 virus had surfaced in more than 500 U.S. meatpacking plants, infecting close to 50,000 workers and killing more than 200 workers, according to the Food Environment Reporting Network.
The UN study reported that three of the leading factors believed to contribute to zoonotic diseases “jumping species” from animals to humans — and thus creating global pandemics — are the increased demand for animal protein, the rise in intense and unsustainable animal agriculture practices, and the increased use and exploitation of wildlife.
For Animal Outlook and other animal welfare and human rights organizations, the solution is clear: fix our broken food system.
Image via undercover footage from Animal Outlook.
“It’s time to rethink our food system. The current one is broken beyond repair,” Animal Outlook wrote on its website. “As a society, we must demand better because we all deserve better. We must stop these systems of destruction. It’s up to us to hold the animal agriculture industry and our government accountable.”
Boycott USA and it’s products.
Cruelty has no place in society. No living creature should be subjected to a life of depravation, filth, disease, torture and neglect. If you would not subject your child, parent, friend or sibling to the life hundreds of millions or billions of animals are subjected to for their fur, food, profit or entertainment, then they should not be subjected to it either. We do not “own” these beings and they aren’t ours to abuse as we wish. They have a birthright just like humans do. End speciesism.
Someone is going to feed this scum their own intestines and they will beg to die!!!
Please think about the crisis and be kind.
Do they not understand that this horrendous exploitation of animals in these “blood markets” is what caused the pandemic in the first place?? It is the ugliest and most repulsive act of any human to murder innocent animals for commercial gain!! Please, dear God, make them see this is PURE EVIL and become so disgusted that they immediately STOP their killing!!
Please someone tell me when will this cruelty end. How can possibly anyone work like this and do this to other beings…..?
Shameless!
HUMANS BEHAVING BADLY!
Stop using animals for research purposes 🐰🐇🐾.
Stop harming animals. Please. They are free, let them free. Animals are not ours.
Such heinously, cruelly torturing poor defenseless animals to the core is a unimaginable, UNPARDONABLE SINS which is committing by the men. These animals exist for their own reasons as same as we do. Animals are here for NOT Violently, abuse, torture, and murder.
Specially when the country citizens are dying in rapid numbers, who are these so called FDA or the agriculture members who still allow such nasty manner to bring animals with diseases & allowing the wet markets to run same. MAKE SURE TO VOTE FOR THE PEOPLE WHO CARE FOR THE NATURE & ANIMALS. Time to showel off the current authorities who are ONLY GREEDY FOR MONEY.
Some of the information shown is just unbelievable. We need to stop all wet markets and close contact animal farming. As a society, we need to move toward more fruits and vegetables and less animal meat.
The federal government subsidizes the food these animals eat. If we as a government subsidize anything, it should be fruits and vegetables.
Because We Care about All Living Beings and how We Treat Them
Kaiser Lexie and R
NAMASTE
Because We Care about All Living Beings and how We Treat Them
Kaiser Lexie and R
NAMASTE
Sad very sad
All these heartless cruel selfish people who harm animals will deserve a spike in their heart!
We need to out-law live animal markets for good! This is horrific, and disease carrying dangerous!
Not to mention Inhumane!
The ”man” is the largest homicidal beast on earth.
Everything about animals is destroyed what they can use or eat!
That is why I have NO pity at all that humanoid creatures are destroying the corona. It would be nice if only these monsters would get corona, but unfortunately this is not the case,
In developing a vaccine, they have again abused animals! In a word disgusting. It would be a good thing if a few billion devils were to disappear from the face of the earth. It would be better for the animals!
I TOTALLY agree 1,000% with you. Not only are there too many humans on the planet, with no population curtailment on our excessive species, but too many do cruel things to animals and are equally stupid to our own species. Look at all the gatherings and holiday travel despite the corona warnings! This is why I don’t care WHAT happens to our species. We deserve what we get for being selfish, arrogant and just plain stupid.
You know what we DON’T deserve? This planet.
Please we need to save the animals from the beasts!
#govegan
Enough is enough .evil people stop eating animals.they feel pain,fear just like us
The only way to STOP this Insane CRUELTY is to Kill off the Evil Ones!!!
I am deeply ashamed and disgusted, that I belong to a species, called Homo sapiens. It will never stopped, unfortunately.
This is where COVID started!!
End this crap!!
This is where COVID started!!
End this crap!!
THIS HAS TO STOP….WHY ARE YOU CONDONING THIS….MUST HAVE A LACK OF HUMAN EMOTION EMPATHY AS WELL AS THE MONSTERS THAT ARE DOING THESE ACTS…
This mishandling must be stopped. It is wrong.
How dare people torture and expose animals to terror????
STOP IT AND BE HUMANE!!!!
Sadly the U is rapidly becoming a third world country . . . .
Stop all live markets now! Stop all markets now! Stop eating meat!!!!!!!!!
Stop all live markets now! Stop all markets now! Stop eating meat!!!!!!!!!
Live animal markets are not only dangerous, they are cruel. Turning a blind eye to suffering because there is money involved is not an excuse. It does not whitewash the psychological disorder of lack of empathy. It just means we live in a brutalised society which will extend to rape, child abuse and other violent crimes. We cannot tolerate cruelty in any form.
This is absolutely evil and traumatising just to view yet alone what these poor suffering animals are enduring. This is no life for any animal. You have to stop doing doing this for the sake of animals, the earth and for yourself. This kind of animal abuse will eat away at your own life in one way or another. No one can get away with treating animals in this way.
Oh dear Lord, look at the blood in the trough beneath the chickens! And that other poor little animal. 😢 Kosher meat is the only way for meat eaters, and tbere aren’t enough Kosher facilities or Rabbis.
You are very sadly mistaken if you think for one minute that Kosher is any better. Read about the horrible Rubashkin atrocities at their Iowa facilities a number of years ago and open up your eyes and mind and stop fooling yourself. It was a vile concentration camp for animals and there was NOTHING humane about it. Kosher MY ASS. Killing is killing, Kosher (or Halal) is no better than any other kind.
If you are a Jewish person who wants a better world, look up JewishVeg.org and make a change. It is how were as humans were truly MEANT to eat. I went vegan years ago and there is no greater change I ever made in my life than that.