Demand an end to cruel cages for pheasants and partridges
- by: Animal Aid
Animal Aid is demanding that the UK government outlaws the use of cruel cages which are used to incarcerate breeding game birds. We have filmed inside these huge farms so we know how much these poor birds suffer.
In the UK, around 50 million partridges and pheasants are bred and reared just to be shot for 'sport'. In addition to this shocking and cruel practice, thousands of parent birds (referred to as 'breeding stock') are often kept in cages for the whole of their productive lives.
Pheasants and partridges are semi-wild so being caged is even more stressful for them. In fact, they suffer such mental anguish that they resort to attacking one another. Rather than free them, game keepers put clips on the birds' beaks which means they cannot open and shut their beaks properly. We filmed birds repeatedly flying up into the cage roofs in a desperate and heart-breaking attempt to escape.
Why are they caged? To save time and money. The raised cages mean that the birds' droppings fall through so they don't need to be cleaned out. All feeding and water runs on automated systems so the only thing that workers on these huge farms need to do is collect the birds' eggs and take them away to hatch them. Many birds are kept in entirely bare, barren cages – which is in breach of the government's very basic rules for their welfare.
And the farms are huge. We are talking about rows and rows of cages in field upon field. On one farm, we counted 40,000 birds used for breeding purposes.
And there they remain, day in and day out, unable to dust bathe, forage, or even what they love to do the most — to fly. They are used as breeding machines and their babies will be shot at for fun.
Breathing, sentient birds are being kept locked up, in all weathers, and unable to escape. We demand an end to these horrific cages. Will you join us?
In the UK, around 50 million partridges and pheasants are bred and reared just to be shot for 'sport'. In addition to this shocking and cruel practice, thousands of parent birds (referred to as 'breeding stock') are often kept in cages for the whole of their productive lives.
Pheasants and partridges are semi-wild so being caged is even more stressful for them. In fact, they suffer such mental anguish that they resort to attacking one another. Rather than free them, game keepers put clips on the birds' beaks which means they cannot open and shut their beaks properly. We filmed birds repeatedly flying up into the cage roofs in a desperate and heart-breaking attempt to escape.
Why are they caged? To save time and money. The raised cages mean that the birds' droppings fall through so they don't need to be cleaned out. All feeding and water runs on automated systems so the only thing that workers on these huge farms need to do is collect the birds' eggs and take them away to hatch them. Many birds are kept in entirely bare, barren cages – which is in breach of the government's very basic rules for their welfare.
And the farms are huge. We are talking about rows and rows of cages in field upon field. On one farm, we counted 40,000 birds used for breeding purposes.
And there they remain, day in and day out, unable to dust bathe, forage, or even what they love to do the most — to fly. They are used as breeding machines and their babies will be shot at for fun.
Breathing, sentient birds are being kept locked up, in all weathers, and unable to escape. We demand an end to these horrific cages. Will you join us?
Animal Aid is demanding that the UK government outlaws the use of cruel cages which are used to incarcerate breeding game birds. We have filmed inside these huge farms so we know how much these poor birds suffer.
In the UK, around 50 million partridges and pheasants are bred and reared just to be shot for 'sport'. In addition to this shocking and cruel practice, thousands of parent birds (referred to as 'breeding stock') are often kept in cages for the whole of their productive lives.
Pheasants and partridges are semi-wild so being caged is even more stressful for them. In fact, they suffer such mental anguish that they resort to attacking one another. Rather than free them, game keepers put clips on the birds' beaks which means they cannot open and shut their beaks properly. We filmed birds repeatedly flying up into the cage roofs in a desperate and heart-breaking attempt to escape.
Why are they caged? To save time and money. The raised cages mean that the birds' droppings fall through so they don't need to be cleaned out. All feeding and water runs on automated systems so the only thing that workers on these huge farms need to do is collect the birds' eggs and take them away to hatch them. Many birds are kept in entirely bare, barren cages – which is in breach of the government's very basic rules for their welfare.
And the farms are huge. We are talking about rows and rows of cages in field upon field. On one farm, we counted 40,000 birds used for breeding purposes.
And there they remain, day in and day out, unable to dust bathe, forage, or even what they love to do the most — to fly. They are used as breeding machines and their babies will be shot at for fun.
Breathing, sentient birds are being kept locked up, in all weathers, and unable to escape. We demand an end to these horrific cages. Will you join us?
Sign PetitionSign PetitionIn the UK, around 50 million partridges and pheasants are bred and reared just to be shot for 'sport'. In addition to this shocking and cruel practice, thousands of parent birds (referred to as 'breeding stock') are often kept in cages for the whole of their productive lives.
Pheasants and partridges are semi-wild so being caged is even more stressful for them. In fact, they suffer such mental anguish that they resort to attacking one another. Rather than free them, game keepers put clips on the birds' beaks which means they cannot open and shut their beaks properly. We filmed birds repeatedly flying up into the cage roofs in a desperate and heart-breaking attempt to escape.
Why are they caged? To save time and money. The raised cages mean that the birds' droppings fall through so they don't need to be cleaned out. All feeding and water runs on automated systems so the only thing that workers on these huge farms need to do is collect the birds' eggs and take them away to hatch them. Many birds are kept in entirely bare, barren cages – which is in breach of the government's very basic rules for their welfare.
And the farms are huge. We are talking about rows and rows of cages in field upon field. On one farm, we counted 40,000 birds used for breeding purposes.
And there they remain, day in and day out, unable to dust bathe, forage, or even what they love to do the most — to fly. They are used as breeding machines and their babies will be shot at for fun.
Breathing, sentient birds are being kept locked up, in all weathers, and unable to escape. We demand an end to these horrific cages. Will you join us?
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