Voice your concerns about Northwest Airlines’ treatment of birds under the company’s care during transport. Contact Northwest Airlines President and CEO, Douglas Steenland, calling for changes in the company’s bird shipping policies. Douglas M Steenland President & CEO Northwest Airlines Doug.Steenland@nwa.com Northwest Airlines Corp. 2700 Lone Oak Parkway Eagan, MN 55121 Tel: (612) 726-2111 Fax: (612) 726-3942 Oppose Federal Legislation, Senate Bill 2395, which would compel the U.S. Postal Service and some commercial airlines to transport baby birds, even when doing so would pose a significant threat to the animals' well-being. The legislation would end the discretionary authority of the USPS and airlines to make case-specific decisions. Voice your concerns about Zacky Farms' negligence in this case. Contact the CEO of this turkey growing facility to strongly urge them to develop and educate their employees on a strict protocol for the disposition of sick and dying birds. Ask them to take leadership by demanding that their suppliers reform by implementing and enforcing better policies for shipping live poultry, such as using only direct flights, allowing at least 4 square inches per bird per box, and never shipping in extreme temperatures (below 50 degrees or above 85 degrees Fahrenheit). Robert Zacky CEO, Zacky Farms 2020 S. East Ave. Fresno, CA 93721 Fax: 559-443-2706

On August 3, Farm Sanctuary welcomed 11 baby turkeys to its Orland, CA shelter. They spent their first day exploring the surroundings of their new home with wide eyes, picking at the straw bales, and scratching at the floor. Their curiosity was in full force when they first arrived, as they attempted to hop on top of the bales, only to realize that they are still too young and small for these athletic maneuvers. They are eating and drinking heartily and spent their first night huddled together cozily in our hospital. Here, they will remain until they clear all health checks and grow old enough to be introduced to our other residents in the turkey barn. By their curious and active demeanors, one would never assume the harrowing events that led them to our Orland Shelter.

A Call for Prosecution
These turkeys were among over 11,500 birds transported from Detroit to San Francisco via Northwest Airlines. Upon arrival at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on July 13, Northwest employees discovered that over 9,000 of the birds had perished in transit from Detroit to SFO. According to the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA (PHS/SPCA), which was the first to take in some of the surviving birds, said they "believe the massive loss was due to overcrowding. The turkeys couldn't breathe, became overheated, dehydrated and died." Approximately 1,900 surviving birds were sent to their final destination to become "breeder" birds, whose offspring would be sold for food.

One week after this initial disaster, Northwest Airlines again called the PHS/SPCA to pick up more birds who were found dead and dying in a subsequent shipment that was apparently meant to replace the original shipment. Zacky Farms, the recipient of the birds from both shipments, left behind boxes containing an estimated 3,240 dead and dying birds at the San Francisco airport. By the time PHS/SPCA investigators arrived on the scene, Northwest Airlines cargo workers had already thrown 26 of the 28 boxes into a trash compactor. Of the two remaining boxes, investigators found 22 of 62 chicks still alive. Sadly, however, all but one died.

Farm Sanctuary has sent a letter to the San Mateo County District Attorney encouraging animal cruelty charges to be brought against Northwest Airlines. In addition, we have sent a letter to Northwest Airlines, calling for changes in the company's policies on live animal shipments. We also sent a letter to Zacky Farms, urging them to implement policies and employee protocols for the disposition of sick and dying birds, and asking them to take leadership by demanding that their suppliers reform their methods of shipping live poultry.

Bird Shippers Push for Legislation
The bird-shipping industry has a poor track record of ensuring animal welfare. It ships millions of birds across the country via postal mail and as cargo aboard airlines, and countless numbers perish from heat extremes, overcrowding and deprivation of food and water. Last year Farm Sanctuary rescued over 100 baby chicks who were found dying during a cross-country shipment in the postal mail.

Farm Sanctuary is opposing legislation (S. 2395), introduced by Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) that would remove the U.S. Postal Service's discretionary authority and force it to accommodate the baby bird and cockfighting industries at the expense of the animals' lives. S. 2395 would: 1) Compel the USPS to require certain airlines to transport birds (currently this is optional for airlines); 2) Require those airlines to transport birds through connecting cities, not necessarily on direct flights; and, 3) Require those airlines to transport birds in any temperature conditions between 0 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

A Cruel Fate for "Breeders"
Sadly, if these birds had not suffered the way they did at the hands of careless cargo workers, they would surely have been sent to work as "breeders" within an industry that only regards them as a means to produce more turkeys for cold-cuts and holiday meals. To meet consumer demand for breast meat, commercial turkeys have been bred to have abnormally large breasts. As a result, the birds cannot mount and reproduce naturally, and the industry now relies on artificial insemination as the sole means of reproduction. The 1,900 turkeys that survived only to be shipped to their destination, Zacky Farms, will endure a constant cycle of forced "milking" of the toms and artificial insemination of the hens, until their bodies give out and they are sent to slaughter.

These 11 tiny survivors are the lucky ones. They've escaped death at the hands of a shipping industry that regards them as basic cargo, and they're free from a life forced into unnatural breeding practices.

Donations are needed to help fund this rescue, and to protect turkeys from transport cruelty. Please call 607-583-2225 ext. 221, mail checks to Farm Sanctuary, PO Box 150, Watkins Glen, NY 14891, or click here to donate online.

Farm Sanctuary is the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, we have worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the “food animal” industry through research and investigations, legal and legislative actions, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Our shelters in Watkins Glen, NY and Orland, CA provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. For more information about Farm Sanctuary or our programs, please visit farmsanctuary.org or call 607-583-2225. To become a Farm Sanctuary member or to make a donation today using our secure online form, please click here. For updates on previous action alerts, please click here.

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Farm Sanctuary, P.O. Box 150 Watkins Glen, NY 14891.