CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — An animal rights organization has released undercover video it says documents widespread cruelty at a parakeet breeding facility that supplies birds through a chain that includes Chillicothe-based Petland, according to a press release issued by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
PETA says its investigators spent three months inside Creekside Birds, which it describes as a parakeet-breeding operation that sells to a wholesaler supplying a distributor connected to Petland. The Guardian has not independently verified PETA’s allegations.
According to PETA’s account, investigators documented nearly 10,000 birds housed in cages described as tiny and filthy, with approximately 1,400 birds found dead over a 27-day period. The organization alleges workers killed birds by crushing their necks, throwing them against the ground, and, in some instances, decapitating live birds. A co-owner of the facility is quoted in PETA’s materials as describing the latter method as faster.
PETA also alleges that sick and injured birds were denied veterinary care for weeks, that cages were never cleaned, and that birds deemed unsellable were placed in designated sick cages and killed if they did not recover within one to two weeks.
The Co-Chair of the Association of Avian Veterinarians Welfare Committee, who PETA says reviewed the investigation footage, is quoted in the release as characterizing the facility as “a culling facility focused entirely on maximizing profits with a complete disregard for life.” A veterinarian with more than 30 years of avian medicine experience is quoted as calling the footage “the most despicable, inhumane, and reprehensive representations of animal welfare.”
PETA says it has submitted evidence to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is calling on Petland to end live animal sales in its stores. Petland has not released any public comments on the allegations.
Editor’s Note: PETA provided several disturbing images related to the birds. The Guardian could not show many of the images as they were extremely graphic. If readers would like to see the other images, they may do so by visiting PETA’s website. That link can be found here: Where Pet Store Birds Come From (It’s Worse Than You Think) | PETA Investigates.