This new drone footage reveals something that the public has never seen: the last place animals go before they enter a slaughterhouse.
The footage shows a massive industrial complex surrounded by pits of waste, where hundreds of cows await their turn for slaughter. Moved from semitrucks to tight pens, the cows follow a track down a curving walkway to a huge holding area where they are crammed together. Workers force the animals to keep moving by frightening them, often hitting them on the body and face.
The terrified cows are forced from the pens into another long hallway, desperate to escape the workers. Some even frantically climb on top of one another in their attempt to get free. One brave cow manages to slip by a worker but has nowhere to go, as the hallway has been closed. The cow tries to squeeze back into another pen but is unable to fit.
Pushed further and further down the hallway, the frightened cows disappear inside the slaughterhouse, where their lives will soon come to an end. Nearby dumpsters are littered with the bodies of animals who died before completing the process.
This is not the first time Mercy For Animals has used drone footage to reveal horrific practices by animal agriculture industries. Thanks to Mark Devries, our certified drone pilot (and the director and star of this documentary), we’ve used high-tech drones to expose just how dangerously vast and insidious factory farms are.
In a piece for EcoWatch, Mark writes:
The animal agriculture industry spends millions on deceptive advertising to persuade consumers that farmed animals roam freely on bucolic pastures. But I’ve been piloting drones over animal agriculture facilities for several years, and the video I’ve captured tells a far different story.
In November 2016, Mark and Mercy For Animals released the first drone investigation of an enormous industrial cattle feedlot. The footage shows large manure pits with a stench that traveled miles. It also reveals cows in muddy pens with no access to trees or grass.
The best way to fight this animal cruelty is to refuse to support it. For information on plant-based eating, order your FREE Vegetarian Starter Guide today.