Written by PETA
It's been an especially bad month for animals on factory farms. Thousands of animals died in fires over the past couple weeks, hens at a Nebraska egg farm were going to be ground up alive until PETA stepped in, and we now have word that nearly 1,000 pigs starved to death after apparently being abandoned on a farm in Fulton County, Pa.
The pigs were discovered by the estranged wife of the farmer who reportedly vacated the property several months ago—and apparently left hundreds of pigs and several calves behind to die. According to a humane society police officer who responded to the scene, evidence indicates that the animals were trapped inside barns and "struggled and fought to get out."
Union Township Supervisor Gary Sheeder, who is an acquaintance of the farm's owner, was appalled by scale of the tragedy. "I can't believe, with as many kids as he had, that life didn't mean more to him," he told a reporter.
The real estate agent who is handling the sale of the death trap farm was more sanguine: "I think this is very normal in a lot of farming operations, that you're going to have dead animals."
Yeah, our undercover investigators have noticed that too.
Fortunately, authorities are taking the case seriously, and several state and local agencies—including the humane society, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the state Department of Environmental Protection, and the Pennsylvania State Police—are investigating and are considering pressing charges. Check back for updates as we learn more.
Written by Alisa Mullins
oh perleeeeeeeeease... this is the stupidest excuse i have ever heard for abusing innocent animals.. "I think this is very normal in a lot of farming operations, that you're going to have dead animals." disgusting! how these "people" live with themselves, i dont have a clue!
"Considering pressing charges"? This monster needs to be locked up for life. How nice that he has kids who he has no doubt either mistreated or taught to be a heartless sadist as he is. There is absolutely no excuse, no reason or justication for this abomination.
It's disgusting what humanity is capable of.
how can anyone be so cruel? i just can't stop crying. as gandhi said - we must be that change we wish to see in the world. come on, people, get active. educate. and i pray that those responsible are never allowed to have a farm, another animal, ever and serve years in prison.
The sheer magnitude of this suffering is beyond human comprehension. I cannot imagine being a human being and walking away from these creatures, knowing they are completely helpless and will die horrible, agonizing deaths. I spoke to a reporter at a news service who talked with the real estate agent. I specifically zeroed in on her "matter-of-fact" comment that she had been to the property just three weeks ago and didn't "notice" anything. My God! A thousand decomposing pigs and she didn't NOTICE anything? The reporter shared that that particular comment drew lots of counter comments from as far away as Alaska.
If the authorities don't bring the maximum charges against this couple, then I lose all hope for justice for animals in Pennsylvania. And, I may be off the mark, but if I were the judge and the real estate agent was called in to testify, I'd ask her why she thought finding dead animals strewn around a farm is acceptable?
No decent, caring farmer would ever treat his livestock so callously. Ever!
The sad thing is, the people who let all of those pigs die are pretty much my neighbors. That guy lived only a few minutes away from me. It's disgusting what people these days are coming to. This makes me glad to be a vegetarian.
I'd like to know if the real estate agent is going to held partially responsible? Saying that she knew there were dead animals and that the farm was vacant of people, why didn't she alert authorities?
This is sooo horrible, I can't believe these people can be so inhumane! It makes me extremely sad and angry to see animals treated this way!
Thank you PETA for bringing these images and information to us all - we cannot allow anyone to deny the cruelty and getting the images is the only way to prove it to the public. The perpetrators need to me prosecuted and banned from keeping ANY animals again. Keep up the good work, PETA.
This man should be prosecuted on live TV. He should not only pay a huge fine, but also do time. Why didn't his wife report this sooner? If she knew she should be prosecuted also!!!!
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