Giant 'Chickens' Crash McDonald's All American High School Basketball Games to Take On McCruelty

'Scalded Alive--That's Foul!' Is PETA Flock's Battle Cry

For Immediate Release:
March 30, 2010

Contact:
Michael Lyubinsky  757-622-7382

Columbus, Ohio -- Wearing jerseys that read, "McCruelty," three giant PETA "chickens" will protest outside the Value City Arena in Columbus on Wednesday as the McDonald's All American High School Basketball Games--a national showcase for the top high school basketball players in the country--are under way inside. Other PETA members will hold signs that read, "Bench Cruelty--Boycott McDonald's" and "Scalded Alive--That's Foul!" to let people know about the suffering inflicted on chickens by McDonald's suppliers.

Where:  Value City Arena, intersection of W. Lane Avenue and Olentangy River Road, Columbus
When:    Wednesday, March 31, 4 p.m.

McDonald's American suppliers are under fire for using an outdated killing method that often causes birds to suffer the pain of broken limbs, have their throats cut while they are still conscious, and be scalded to death in defeathering tanks. PETA--along with members of McDonald's own animal welfare advisory panel--has urged the company to require its suppliers to eliminate the worst abuses that birds suffer by switching to a modern method that the company already uses in Europe, but the group's pleas have been to no avail.

"When it comes to giving a cluck about chickens' welfare, McDonald's shooting percentage is zero," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "While McDonald's drags its feet, chickens continue to suffer unnecessarily."

For more information, please visit PETA's Web site McCruelty.com.