Homes sought for 40 chicks

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Homes sought for 40 chicks

9,000 other turkeys died aboard airplane

Leslie Fulbright, Chronicle Staff Writer

 

Thursday, July 27, 2006

 

 

Officials at the Peninsula Humane Society are searching for homes for 40 turkey

chicks that survived an airline flight on which 9,000 other baby turkeys died.

 

On July 13, a commercial breeder shipped 11,000 of the newborn chicks from

Detroit to San Francisco International Airport using Northwest Airlines.

 

" They had specifically requested the boxes go on two separate flights, " said

Scott Delucchi, a spokesman for the Peninsula Humane Society and Society for the

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in San Mateo. " But someone decided to put them

all on the same flight. "

 

The boxes containing the chicks, en route to a Fresno farm, were crammed into

the cargo space, and thousands of the birds suffocated before they made it to

SFO.

 

Of the surviving chicks, 2,000 were taken to their initial destination -- Zacky

Farms in Fresno -- where they will be raised for consumption.

 

The airline later came across 40 live chicks that somehow had been left behind

and contacted the Humane Society for help.

 

On Monday, Northwest Airlines issued a statement apologizing to the breeder and

admitting that cargo personnel had mishandled the shipment. The breeder, Hybrid

Turkeys in Canada, has filed a $104,000 claim with Northwest to cover the cost

of the lost turkeys and shipping.

 

Meanwhile, the SPCA is investigating animal cruelty and will forward the

findings to the San Mateo County district attorney's office.

 

In a separate, more recent, incident, 9,000 chicks were shipped on July 19 on

Air Canada. But the plane experienced mechanical problems and stopped in a

sweltering Las Vegas, according to the Humane Society and SPCA. More than 2,000

of those chicks died or were not moving and were later found in trash compacters

at SFO, officials said.

 

" Our district attorney has made this county an unfriendly place for people who

mistreat domestic animals, " Delucchi said. " It will be interesting to see what

they think of animals bred for commercial reasons.

 

" We feel that all animals need basic protection, whether it is a dog next door

or one that ends up on a plate. "

 

To adopt a turkey, one must live in an area zoned for farm animals and have some

land, Delucchi said. " We are not looking for temporary homes, through

Thanksgiving. "

 

Information on turkey adoptions is available by calling (650) 340-7022.

 

E-mail Leslie Fulbright at lfulbright.

 

 

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