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Backyard Slaughter Survivors Head to Sanctuary!
In the summer of 2019, a court shut down multiple illegal backyard slaughter operations in the Fort Meyers, Florida area after the Animal Legal Defense Fund and Foley & Mansfield, Miami filed a nuisance lawsuit on behalf of a neighbor. The lawsuit argued the operations violated both state animal cruelty and slaughter laws following an undercover investigation by Animal Recovery Mission that revealed extreme cruelty—including animals being skinned alive, conscious animals being dragged to slaughter by their heads, tails, and ears, and animals being deprived of food, water, and veterinary care to the point of starvation.
Rescuers catch and place ducks and chickens into crates and load them into a courier van to be transported to Peacefield Sanctuary.
Several ducks and chickens were crammed inside a pen. There are two bowls. One bowl is empty and the other dish is full of murky dark brown water.
Rescuers catch and place ducks and chickens into crates and load them into a courier van to be transported to Peacefield Sanctuary.
Rescuers catch and place ducks and chickens into crates and load them into a courier van to be transported to Peacefield Sanctuary.
Crates of chickens loaded into the back of a trailer.
Rescuers catch and place ducks and chickens into crates and load them into a courier van to be transported to Peacefield Sanctuary.
Rescuers catch and place ducks and chickens into crates and load them into a courier van to be transported to Peacefield Sanctuary.
As a result of the lawsuit, the Animal Legal Defense Fund was granted a court order to remove all animals on the properties. Working with Farm Sanctuary, we coordinated the rescue of 46 ducks, 55 chickens, three sheep, five goats, two pigs, a goose, and a pony in April 2020.
Safe from harm, these animals are now headed to sanctuaries that will provide them the love and care that they deserve.
Rescuers catch and corral goats, sheep, and a pony and place them in the trailer. The animals were taken to Kindred Spirits Sanctuary.
A filthy pen was occupied by a pig. An empty water bowl and rotted fruits and vegetables were In the right corner of the pen. The pig was laying in a pile of watery excrement. The pig was lethargic and unresponsive. His breathing was labored and he did not appear to be doing well.
Rescuers catch and corral goats, sheep, and a pony and place them in the trailer. The animals were taken to Kindred Spirits Sanctuary.
Rescuers catch and corral goats, sheep, and a pony and place them in the trailer. The animals were taken to Kindred Spirits Sanctuary.
This overturned bucket contained moldy, rotten bread covered in flies. A few of the chickens that had found their way out of the enclosure were eating the bread.
This area is presumably used for slaughtering animals. The location gave the birds in the enclosure a front-row seat to the slaughtering of their friends and family members. The kill station was underneath a metal roof held up by wood poles. Nooses and hooks were hanging from the upper portion of the covering. A machete was tucked up in the ceiling between the roof and a metal support beam with a dirty rag hanging next to it. A long table sat in the center with a bathtub along the side of it. A knife lay on the table. On the support poles, they had a blow torch, a handheld chainsaw, and other tools.
This area is presumably used for slaughtering animals. The location gave the birds in the enclosure a front-row seat to the slaughtering of their friends and family members. The kill station was underneath a metal roof held up by wood poles. Nooses and hooks were hanging from the upper portion of the covering. A machete was tucked up in the ceiling between the roof and a metal support beam with a dirty rag hanging next to it. A long table sat in the center with a bathtub along the side of it. A knife lay on the table. On the support poles, they had a blow torch, a handheld chainsaw, and other tools.
Inside the large enclosure, there were several nest bowls created by both ducks and chickens; all of them contained eggs.
In this photo, you can see feces caked on a brick that was located inside one of the pens in the large enclosure.
Thank you to our rescue partners Farm Sanctuary, Kindred Spirits Sanctuary (KSS), Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary, Peacefield, Shelter Farm Sanctuary, Yesahcan Sanctuary, and OneProtest.
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