I Rescued a Chicken From an Easter Animal Market
I’m glad we could save Ellie, but I can’t stop thinking about all the chickens we left behind
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.
— Psalm 145:8–9
A day before Easter, I went with my animal rights friends Ellie and Devon to do an impromptu rescue in Philadelphia. There are at least six live animal markets in Philly. Live markets are places where vendors slaughter animals upon purchase by customers. Chickens are most commonly sold, followed by ducks, pigeons, quails, and rabbits. Some places even sell goats, lambs, and calves. Birds and rabbits are kept in crowded cages with no access to food or water other than an occasional spray to keep the cages clean. Bigger animals, “enjoy” more space inside an enclosure placed at the back. Once a customer makes a decision on the type of animal they would like, the chosen one is slaughtered inside a “kill room,” away from the eyes of the customer of course. A duck costs about seven dollars, a hen even less, about three. Rabbits cost eight dollars.
Because it was Easter, we decided to ask a live market vendor to spare a life out of compassion. At the first market, the cages were filled to the brim with animals. A goose had almost escaped out of one but was shoved back inside with a stick. There was pandemonium as they all struggled to fit inside and find the wiry floor to rest their feet. The entire place erupted in discord. Another worker shooed us away as if we were burglars — to be fair, we were dressed in black, wore gloves, and our faces were covered by a mask.
She asked if we wanted an animal, her head tilted in confusion trying to make sense of the bizarre request for a living animal.
“Yes, because it’s Easter, can you spare an animal’s life?” Ellie asked.
She threatened to call the police.
We left and went to a different market. Here there were about ten cages filled with chickens. We repeated the drill, asking the worker to spare a life. Expecting him to resist our…
