UPDATE:
When animal rights organization Direct Action Everywhere investigated a “humane” egg supplier to Costco, what it found was shocking. According to the group, stressed chickens were fighting each other in order to survive inside sheds that were reportedly cramped and filthy—and many birds were covered with fecal matter and barely able to stand.
Many hens at this Costco cage-free egg supplier’s farm can barely move. (Courtesy Direct Action Everywhere)
Direct Action Everywhere says that one of its members, Diane Gandee Sorbi, spotted a chicken, later named Ella, in this condition and rushed her to a veterinarian. After receiving emergency medical care, she survived and is now enjoying life on a sanctuary.
The group reports that Costco and the farm were not charged with any crime—instead, they pressured the district attorney to prosecute Sorbi, who is now facing theft and criminal mischief charges.
Sorbi will apparently attempt to use the “lesser evil” defense to argue that she did not steal the animal for personal gain but rather to stop her from suffering.
