San Francisco: Parakeets Left to Die in Breeding Facility—Act Now!
San Francisco leaders may soon be considering a city-wide ban on the retail sale of animals in pet stores, and they need to hear that this is a top priority for residents across the city. Animal traffickers like Petco and PetSmart treat animals like disposable objects and repeated investigations into the large-scale breeding facilities that supply these stores have revealed horrifying conditions and supply chains characterized by neglect and abuse.
A retail animal sales ban would protect parrots, songbirds, turtles, lizards, fish, and other animals from the entrenched cruelty of the pet trade. It would also encourage San Francisco residents to adopt homeless animals from shelters, instead of funneling money into the abusive pet trade, where profit is the only priority.
PETA’s recent undercover investigation into an Oklahoma parakeet-breeding facility, which sells birds to a wholesaler that distributes them to animal dealers that supply Petco and PetSmart, revealed shocking cruelties, including:
- Thousands of birds crammed into tiny, filthy cages too small to even spread their wings in a warehouse-like barn
- Nearly 1,400 birds found dead in less than a month
- Injured and sick birds denied veterinary care and left to suffer and slowly die
- Workers killed birds by crushing their necks, slamming them to the ground, and even ripping their heads off.
In recent years, cities around the country including Arlington, Mass., Cambridge, Mass., Washington, D.C., and West Hollywood, Calif., have passed comprehensive bans on the retail sale of animals. It’s time for San Francisco to join the list!
Please email your San Francisco Supervisor to urge them to support a ban on the retail sale of animals.
You can find your Supervisor listed by district here: San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Once you’ve identified your Supervisor, you can reference our sample letter, and be sure to include your name and address before sending the email.
Please feel free to use our sample letter, but remember that using your own words is always more effective.
