Every college student understands the meaning of a busy schedule; what with class, papers, projects, and work, there's barely enough time to par … uh, I mean … call home! But peta2 activists know that dedicating even a few hours a week to leafleting, tabling, or protesting can make a world of difference for animals suffering in factory farms, laboratories, and the entertainment industry.
Melanie Ippolito is one star activist who has taken her dedication to a whole new level. This fearless student helped found a group called Compassionate Consumers, which set off to investigate where the eggs in their local grocery stores come from. In a series of rescues, Melanie found chickens who were living in the most filthy and miserable conditions imaginable. Chickens were crammed into battery cages so small that they were unable to spread even a single wing; they were covered with feces and forced to live amid the rotting corpses of other birds. Many of the birds were obviously dying or neglected and had to be rushed to an emergency veterinarian. To call attention to this cruelty, Melanie and her crew have since put together a documentary and have been working hard to get the word out.
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Unfortunately, the conditions that Melanie and her group observed at the egg farm are not out of the ordinary. The 245 million chickens raised for their eggs in the United States live the exact same nightmare. Most have their beaks cut off with a burning-hot blade without any painkillers and undergo a procedure called “forced molting,” where they are deprived of food and water for up to two weeks to shock their bodies into another egg-laying cycle. Not exactly Old MacDonald's farm.
What You Can Do
If you aren't comfortable with supporting so much suffering (who would be?), consider a vegan diet. Check out all the grub you can feast on without making life miserable for chickens. But don't stop there! Print out some of our “Where Do Eggs Come From?” leaflets to give to your friends—or better yet, show Melanie some love by forwarding her video along. A little education never hurt anyone.
Want to be our next star? Sign up for the Street Team now, and tell us what you've done to help animals in your community.
