Strange, but true: Poultry -- turkeys, chickens, ducks, geese, and other birds -- are NOT protected by humane slaughter laws in this country, even though they make up the overwhelming majority of farm animals killed for food in the United States (9 billion a year). Today, you and I have the power to change that.

Some background: Since the 1950s, the Humane Slaughter Act has required that all livestock be rendered "insensible to pain" before slaughter. Seems like such a modest requirement reflecting our society's belief that animals should not suffer unnecessarily, right? Yet this most basic requirement does not extend to more than 95 percent of the farm animals slaughtered in this country, simply because the law does not explicitly mention poultry.

We need your help to change this shocking situation. To get Congress to amend the law to provide the same basic protections for poultry that cows, pigs, lambs, and other livestock have, we need to demonstrate widespread support as quickly as possible.


Our goal? At least 150,000 signatures on the Petition for Poultry by Thanksgiving, the day when millions of birds have nothing to be grateful for. It only takes a minute of your time to sign the petition - and then, please, tell a friend.

It's that simple to make a difference for billions of animals today - including the 46 million turkeys consumed at Thanksgiving alone. I hope you'll agree that it's time to fix this gaping hole in our animal welfare laws. Please, help us achieve this long-overdue reform today.

Sincerely,

Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States