Chris's Sharebook 

A December 2011 undercover investigation by activist group Compassion Over Killing exposed gross animal rights abuses at Hawkeye Sow Centers, an Iowa pig breeding factory farm. These abuses included immobilizing sows in gestation crates, cutting off piglet tails and testicles with no pain killers, and pushing herniated intestines back inside piglets and securing the wounded area with tape. Thanks to undercover investigation, these abuses are caught on camera to inform customers of pork industry practices and catalyze action to end these abuses.

Iowa agribusiness groups have renewed their efforts to pass "ag-gag" legislation which would make it illegal to make undercover exposes of factory farms like Compassion Over Killing's investigation. This would allow unethical practices to continue and prevent consumers from learning about animal abuses. Iowa is currently the largest pork-producing state in the country. Please sign the petition to convince Iowa legislators to oppose ag-gag legislation.

A recent investigation of a North Carolina Butterball slaughterhouse by Mercy for Animals revealed shockingly sadistic, unnecessary cruelty to turkeys. Slaughterhouse workers were caught on video kicking, stomping on and dragging turkeys, bashing their heads in with metal rods and neglecting severely injured birds.

The cruelty displayed in these videos mirrors sadism exposed during a 2006 investigation of an Arkansas Butterball slaughterhouse. The 2006 expose documented an employee crushing a bird's head until it exploded and another employee sexually assaulting a female bird. These disgusting, malicious acts were unrelated to meat production and performed only for the sick amusement of sadistic workers. Clearly, animal abuse is an ongoing issue in poultry slaughterhouses nationwide.

Despite the USDA-confirmed abuse in the 2006 case, Butterball was not charged with animal cruelty. The U.S. currently has no federal law protecting chickens and turkeys raised for food, and the prosecutor assigned to the case chose not to charge Butterball for animal cruelty under Arkansas state law. Without federal protection, the cycle of animal abuse will continue all over the U.S. Please sign the petition to convince Congress to create a federal law to protect poultry from sadistic abuse.

In 2008, clothing company BCBG joined other high-end brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein in a pledge to stop selling fur items. Unfortunately, BCBG has recently violated this promise by rabbit fur earmuffs, rabbit-fur ponchos and other fur items in their 2011 holiday fashion line.

Animals raised for fur live in cramped wire cages their entire lives. They are typically killed via cheap methods such as suffocation, neck-breaking, poisoning or anal/vaginal electrocution. In light of this cruelty, many celebrities, models and activists, including Michelle Obama, Ellen Degeneres and Lady Gaga refuse to wear fur.

As proven by fur-free high-fashion clothing lines, it is possible for clothing to be fashionable and functional without causing animals to suffer and be killed. Please boycott BCBG while they continue to sell fur and sign the petition to convince CEO Max Azria to permanently remove fur from the brand's collections.