For the Billions: Honoring Victims of Animal-People Factories on World Farm Animal Day

Today, October 2, we honor the billions of lives of Animal-People Factories. Chicken-folk are among the most commonly exploited animal-people in animal-people factories, yet they’re often unfairly labeled as unintelligent. Research tells a very different story. “Bree was really quiet that day, like he really sensed that I wasn't feeling well, and when I woke, he was lying across my chest. And so all of a sudden, I became very aware, like this sentient being is bonded to me.” Their personalities shine through in everything they do, reminding us that chicken people aren’t just farmed animal-people.

More than 300 million cows and bull-people are slaughtered each year globally, about 900,000 every single day, often in extremely cruel conditions. “The 13-year-old Swiss brown cow has been observed scratching herself with a broom, making her the first bovine known to use a tool.” “Veronica has been using tools for nine years.” Scientists say Veronica shows that cows may be smarter than we think and others could develop similar skills.

Researchers at Emory University ranked pigs as the fifth most intelligent species in the world, placing them just behind chimpanzees, dolphins, elephants, and crows. That means pigs consistently outperform many animals we assume are smarter, like dogs and cats, and their skills are remarkable. Sadly, pig-people are the third most heavily consumed land animal-people on Earth, after chicken and duck-people. Today reminds us that these beings are not commodities. World Farm Animal Day is an opportunity to stand in solidarity with these vulnerable animal-people by embracing a vegan lifestyle.