Citizens Against the Carnegie Chick Hatchery will hold an Earth Day Protest Demonstration and Candlelight Vigil at the Carnegie Science Center on Saturday, April 22 from Noon to 5 pm, and 7 to 9 pm. Armed with Candles, Banners, Signs, Press Kits, and Handout Literature, we will urge the elimination of the hatchery, a cruel mockery of Earth Day.

Hatching motherless birds from mechanical incubators who then "disappear," week after week, is a terrible lesson for children. Anyone who opposes the tragedy of pet overpopulation cannot condone the production of an endless stream of baby animals, which encourages people to produce even more animals. Dr. F. Barbara Orlans, a Senior Research Fellow at Georgetown University, has urged the Center to "disband this exhibit and replace it with a meaningful one."

Our press kits will include letters to the Center that explained, before the hatchery opened, why the project was mistaken. Unfortunately, Carnegie ignored every ethical consideration.

"Carnegie, with its vast resources, can easily come up with something worthwhile to replace the pitiful sight of baby birds struggling to emerge from their shells without the help that a mother hen provides," says Dr. Karen Davis, president of United Poultry Concerns and director of a sanctuary for domestic fowl. "What kind of a lesson is that?"

"I am requesting to meet with the Center's director on the day of our protest," Davis said. "An earlier meeting, held at the request of Animal Advocates of Pittsburgh, confirmed that the Center's directors know nothing about baby chicks and their need for maternal care. They did not consider the consequences of the project and kept changing their story about where these poor baby birds would go. We will protest until they eliminate the hatchery. When they do the right thing, then we'll go away, but not before."

United Poultry Concerns. April 19, 2000

United Poultry Concerns, Inc.
PO Box 150
Machipongo, VA 23405-0150
757-678-7875
FAX: 757-678-5070
www.upc-online.org

(UPC News Release: CSC Earth Day Protest)