Help for Farmed Animals, Now, Not Later.

• Author: Wood, Kathleen
• Position: Animal cruelty prosecution

There are an estimated nine billion land animals raised and killed for food every year. The vast majority live in "factory farms"--massive facilities designed for maximizing profits rather than caring for individual animals. Animals are kept in unnatural, overcrowded, and unsanitary environments for the entirety of their lives, and are routinely subjected to painful body modifications.

In addition to these cruel practices, farmed animals are vulnerable to other forms of abuse, as undercover videos have revealed. Workers regularly beat, kick, and throw animals. And severe neglect is the norm, including depriving animals of necessary food, water, shelter, and veterinary care.

Built-in to the very design of factory farms is the ability to prevent the public from witnessing animal cruelty, making it difficult to gather evidence of crimes against these innocent animals. Farmed animal cases can also be extremely expensive; they tend to involve hundreds of animals, many of whom require costly medical treatment, along with the cost of housing and feeding while the criminal case is pending.

No federal laws govern how farmed animals are raised and most state cruelty laws exempt standard agricultural practices, such as animals having their testicles, tails, horns, beaks, or toes removed without anesthesia and hens systematically starved in order to artificially restart their egg-laying cycles.

With such limited and unorganized laws, imagine attempting to prosecute hoarders in possession of nearly 150 animals in varying states of decline. Such was the case in Chuck the Duck's rescue from Carroll County, Tenn. Dubbed Operation Noah's Ark because of all the species involved, law enforcement seized 43 dogs, 37 cats, 17 rabbits, 10 geese, eight chickens, six ducks (including Chuck), six goats, five sheep, five chinchillas, four ferrets, and two alpacas.

Chuck was found in a cage with a duck who had died, and was himself filthy, emaciated, and dehydrated. The veterinarians who treated Chuck were concerned he might not survive. But after several weeks of intensive care and close monitoring, Chuck was transferred to Redemption Road Rescue, where he could receive extended care and be with other ducks. There, Chuck flourished. One of the volunteers at the rescue took Chuck in as a foster, and ultimately adopted him. Today, Chuck is a beloved family member who has ducks and humans to keep him company at his home.

Operation Noah's Ark took place in April 2018...