who says Vancouver is a ‘no fun’ city?
Date: June 9, 2006
Opera, polka and dancing chickens - popular local talent supports Humane Society’s chicken awareness day
Vancouver’s Battery Opera and a youth polka band will perform along side Henny, the Vancouver Humane Society’s six-foot dancing chicken mascot, at the second annual Chicken Dance Party on the Robson Street side of the Vancouver Art Gallery this Saturday between 11:30am and 5pm. This light-hearted event aims to educate the public about how they can help reduce the suffering of Canada’s 26 million egg-laying hens.
“It’s about having fun while taking action to prevent some of the most ubiquitous and serious animal cruelty in the country,” says Bruce Passmore, the Farm Animal Welfare Project Coordinator at the VHS. “Is it okay to torture animals because they are used in food production? Most people are unaware of where their food comes from. It they knew the full story, they would choose more compassionate alternatives. The answer is education.”
About 98 percent of Canada’s egg-laying hens are kept in tiny wire cages with five to seven other birds. They can barely move, let alone stretch even one wing. Last year the VHS released shocking video footage of the inside of a Canadian egg operation taken on a farm owned by a veterinarian associated with the University of Guelph’s veterinary college. VHS also released a report on the scientific evidence supporting a phase-out of caging for egg-laying hens.
“If you buy eggs, choose certified organic because they are the only eggs guaranteed to be from cage-free hens,” said Passmore. “But also be sure to shake your tail feathers at the Chicken Dance Party in honour of these little creatures who are as equally deserving of our compassion and respect as any cat, dog or chimpanzee.”
In January, local superstar Pamela Anderson gave her support to VHS’s project to clearly label eggs from caged hens in local grocery stores.
Video footage and photos of the inside of a Canadian egg barn and the scientific report will be at the event, or can be viewed on-line at www.chickenout.ca.
