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Cities Across North America Walk To Save Farm Animals

Farm Sanctuary's Walk for Farm Animals Raises Awareness and Funds for Animal Rescue and Protection

Watkins Glen, NY - September 7, 2006 - During September and October, residents of across North America will join with Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal protection organization, in the annual Walk for Farm Animals. In addition to promoting awareness about inhumane factory farming practices, walkers will raise vitally needed funds to help sustain and ensure farm animal rescue, protection and advocacy efforts.

With important legislative efforts and actions now pending nationwide, these Walks focus attention on current Farm Sanctuary campaign issues including foie gras, downed animals, veal crates for calves and gestation crates for pigs.

· Foie gras legislation in Illinois, Massachusetts and New York seeks to ban the force-feeding of ducks and geese and a proposed ordinance in Philadelphia seeks to ban the sale of the product. This cruel method of production involves inserting a tube down the birds' throats and force-feeding them enormous quantities of food several times a day, causing their livers to enlarge to 10 times their normal size. California passed similar legislation in 2004 and Chicago passed a ban on the sale of foie gras in 2006.

• Downed animals, who are too sick to stand, are often dragged to slaughter with chains or left to die on stockyard 'dead piles.' Downer ban efforts hope to outlaw the inhumane transport and marketing of these animals. Farm Sanctuary is calling for a permanent ban on the marketing of downers at the national level.
• ·Male calves, unwanted byproducts of the dairy industry, are often taken away from their mothers moments after birth and loaded onto trucks, where many are sold for the purpose of veal production. Confined in veal crates measuring only two feet wide, male calves are chained by the neck unable to turn around or even comfortably lie down. At approximately 16 weeks of age, these animals are sent to slaughter.
• Pigs used for breeding, live most of their lives in two-foot metal enclosures called gestation crates. These small confinement pens prevent the pigs from turning around or lying down comfortably, rendering them virtual piglet-making machines.

More information on these campaigns, as well as other factory farming issues can be found at www.factoryfarming.com.

Registered walkers, wearing their Walk for Farm Animals t-shirts, designed by illustrator Suzanne Grover, will take to the streets, parks and beaches in a show of support against the suffering of farm animals on modern-day factory farms. Educational literature will be available at each of the Walks for those citizens who wish to learn more about farm animal issues. This year's sponsor is Turtle Mountain LLC, the makers of dairy free desserts, including Purely DecadentT and So DeliciousT.

Anyone interested in participating in the Walk for Farm Animals can find out more information at www.walkforfarmanimals.org.

About Farm Sanctuary
Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., 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. Additional information can be found at www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.