According to Turkish news outlet Daily Sabah, South Korean officials have killed 26 million chickens in an attempt to combat the country’s serious bird flu epidemic.
Bird flu has been rampant in South Korea for a few years, but now authorities are reaching out to the military for assistance in disinfecting bird farms. More than 78 percent of the chickens being killed are egg-laying hens, which is creating an egg shortage in the country.
The article claims South Korean farmers have increased “cleaning, animal detention techniques and built roofs to cover hen pens to prevent infection from wild birds in an effort to prevent the disease from spreading. China and Japan have ordered the killing of tens of millions of chickens in the past month, causing fears of a regional spread.
It’s no wonder birds raised and killed for food become sick. The filthy conditions and overcrowding on today’s farms are breeding grounds for disease.
While recent outbreaks have yet to infect humans, the risk is very high. Many diseases that affect us can also be carried by animals. In fact, tuberculosis is infectious to cattle, and swine and bird flus have jumped the species barrier to humans. Yet farmers continue to overuse antibiotics and cram sick animals into tiny spaces, putting us all at serious risk.
This crisis is another reminder of the suffering animals endure at the hands of factory farmers, who treat them as mere commodities rather than thinking, feeling creatures capable of experiencing physical and emotional pain.
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