Ronald McDonald Opens Up About Abusing Animals

A lot of people think clowns are kind of creepy; they’ll probably agree that comedian Andy Dick‘s portrayal of Ronald McDonald is pretty eerie—and amusing. In a FunnyOrDie.com exclusive, “Ronald” tells Jiminy Glick (aka Martin Short) how much he enjoys snapping chickens bones and scalding them alive.

The video is rather humorous, in a sardonic sort of way, but there is nothing funny about the way McDonalds’s U.S. and Canadian suppliers treat chickens. The terrified birds are slammed into metal shackles and hung upside-down, which often causes broken bones, severe bruising, and hemorrhaging. Many chickens have their throats cut while they’re still conscious and they are often scalded alive in the tanks of boiling water used for feather removal.

As a longtime vegan, I would love for McDonald’s only to sell faux chicken and other vegetarian options, but I’m realistic—that isn’t going to happen anytime soon. Until it does, McDonald’s should at least take steps to minimize animal suffering.

One way McDonald’s can do this is by requiring its suppliers to use a less cruel slaughter method called “controlled-atmosphere killing” (CAK), which painlessly puts chickens “to sleep” by removing the oxygen from their environment and replacing it with an inert gas, like nitrogen or argon. If people insist on eating chicken, this technique is the best available way to reduce the birds’ suffering.

In 2005, McDonald’s produced a report stating that CAK is significantly more humane than conventional slaughter methods, yet it still hasn’t required any of its U.S. or Canadian suppliers to switch to CAK. (McDonald’s European suppliers are already working to implement CAK.)

Until McDonald’s requires it’s U.S. and Canadian suppliers to switch to CAK, PETA will be holding eye-catching demonstrations at McDonald’s restaurants across North America. PETA’s “chicken” mascots are even handing out free Unhappy Meals, which contain a menacing “Ronald McDonald” cutout, a “blood”-filled packet, a “bloody” plastic chicken, and a “McCruelty” T-shirt wrapped like a chicken sandwich, to McDonald’s customers.

To find out how you can take part in a protest at McDonald’s—and to hear the shocking things “Ronald McDonald” said in outtakes from his interview with Jiminy Glick—see McCruelty.com.

Read more: animal welfare, chicken, humane, mcdonalds, slaughter

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Leixa M.

3:18AM PST on Nov 20, 2011

Unfortunately now McD's are sponsors of Care2! Not a good choice....you can see their add pop up on the sidebars of this site...makes you wonder.

send a green star

Lori K.

9:14AM PDT on Aug 13, 2011

Whoops! Sorry! I should have proof read. I meant, "You take ALL of the fun out of eating meat!"

9:11AM PDT on Aug 13, 2011

Thank-you Sonja! That's the same reason I became vegan, and learning how food animals are treated is what finally got my big, fat, kind hearted, meat loving husband to stop eating meat.

After hearing excerpts from the book "Skinny Bitch" concerning the treatment of animals in factory farming he announced, "You take ll of the fun out of eating meat!", then plunged into the PCRM 21 day vegan challenge.

A person simply cannot claim to be an animal lover, if they support such unadulterated, unabashed cruelty by eating meat raised by factory farming methods.

Diana P.

10:12AM PDT on Aug 12, 2011

The treatment of animals is horrifying and far beyond inhumane.

Alexander H.

8:06PM PST on Feb 28, 2011

The original Ronald McDonald, Geoffrey Gioliano, is actually a vegetarian. He was chosen out of 600 other clowns to play the character between 1980 and 1982. He became veggie in 1972 and kept it a secret from the advertising company, Vickers & Benson Ltd. After about a year of promoting McDonalds hamburgers on TV, his conscience got the better of him and he started to run a Cow Protection Community. Around 1990 he developed a magic show which he put on at schools and vegetarian fayres to gently educate youngsters about their true relationship with the environment, animal friends and each other. He realized he had a debt to parents and children everywhere to try to present the truth about the wonderful vegetarian lifestyle to which he owes so much

sharon m.

2:36AM PST on Feb 28, 2011

I'd really like to no why the 1% of the voting voted no...????

Hakim M.

7:49PM PDT on Apr 27, 2010

thats terrible!! im going to get my own chickens soon so my family(i dont eat eggs) wont have to buy chicken eggs from the store that are abused!

Leni M.

12:59PM PDT on Sep 14, 2009

Fortunately for me I only ate chicken so it was not difficult to become partly vegetarian (I still do eat shrimps and eggs from a free range and hopefull no-kill farm "Rosa Farms"), especially after seeing what goes on in the farming industry, also there was that footage on KFC on the news and that stopped me stone cold. People should have a choice of what they want to eat and it is the government that needs to change their system and penalize these large companies for animal cruelty for as usual, there is always a more humane method but I guess it is cheaper to do the inhumane method. I would campaign to educate the consumers and I'm sure that if many folks know of this method, I didn't until reading it here, these big industries will be forced to make the switch. The government did it with Transfat (which is definitely not the same as these horrendous methods and conditions that the farm animals have to endure)....

Catherine T.

2:46PM PDT on Sep 9, 2009

talk of animal welfare often turns into a veg. debate because it is a good way to ensure that this cruelty doesn't continue. as long as you eat meat at fast food restaurants, you are the sponsor of what you have just read about. mcdonalds or any other place has no incentive to change as long as people keep eating there. my guess is that most people who don't fare well on a veg. diet aren't eating the right foods. don't give up. read up first, then try again.

Deborah L.

8:35AM PDT on Sep 9, 2009

Why does everyone take these kinds of posts as an oppurtunity to try to turn everyone into vegetarians? We cannot, I repeat, CANNOT all be vegetarians. Not even in this country. I have tried it and failed miserably. I need meat in order to keep my food consumption to a minimum. I actually GAINED weight as a vegetarian because I was eating MORE often.

About the McDonalds, yes they should use more humane ways of dealing with their animals. But as with any major corporation, they are all about profit and that means they like to cut corners. I do not eat their food as it causes my face to get greasy and ucky and I feel sluggish and gross when I do. I'd rather just do the 89 cent menu at Taco Bell, the food there tastes better anyways.