Massive Banners Near Padres Vs. Pirates Game Call Out Petco for Mass Parakeet Deaths 

For Immediate Release:
August 26, 2026

Contact:
Alex Payne 202-483-7382

Moments ago, while the Padres were preparing to take on the Pirates, baseball fans headed to Petco Park got an eyeful as avian allies stole the spotlight by unfurling massive banners over the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge with the words “Parakeets Suffer and Die for Petco.” The message draws on PETA’s undercover investigation into Creekside Birds—a parakeet breeding factory in Petco’s supply chain—which documented workers ripping live birds’ heads off and leaving sick and injured birds to suffer for weeks without veterinary care. An image of today’s action is available here.

PETA’s investigation into Creekside Birds revealed 10,000 birds crammed into tiny, filthy cages, and staff killing parakeets by crushing their necks between their fingers or even slamming them against the ground. Nearly 1,400 birds were found dead in just 27 days. The Oklahoma-based breeding factory has since been cited for thousands of federal animal welfare violations.

“Whenever someone buys a bird from Petco, they’re unwittingly funding a system that treats birds like disposable merchandise and endorses their suffering,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on Petco to step up to the plate and do what’s right by ending live animal sales, and is urging everyone to please, always adopt, never shop for any animal.”

Multiple PETA investigations into and whistleblower reports from facilities that supply reptiles, birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, gerbils, hamsters, and more to Petco have documented widespread cruelty, suffering, and neglect.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a bird is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.