Urge Mayor Mamdani to Enforce NYC Laws During Kaporos
Photo by Unparalleled Suffering Photography
Please contact New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and urge him to enforce the City's laws during the annual Kaporos slaughter of chickens. Each year, tens of thousands of chickens are brought into Brooklyn, confined in crates—often for days—exposed to weather, deprived of adequate food and water, subjected to rough handling, and slaughtered on streets and sidewalks.
The handling of live chickens during Kaporos raises serious public-health concerns. This year, Salmonella outbreaks linked to backyard poultry sickened 1,061 people, hospitalized 234, and killed two. “Almost a quarter of the sick people in these outbreaks are children under 5 years old” (CDC, 2026). While these outbreaks were not identified as Kaporos-related, they underscore the public-health concerns associated with the large-scale handling of live chickens.
The City has long provided police protection, barricades, traffic control, and other assistance at Kaporos sites. City sanitation trucks have been documented hauling away the dead bodies of the birds. The City has a responsibility to maintain public order, but it also has a responsibility to enforce its animal-cruelty, health, sanitation, slaughter, and other applicable laws.
There is a humane and charitable alternative to killing chickens: Kaporos can be performed with money given to charity. No religious observance requires the City to suspend its laws or allow animals to suffer.
What Can I Do?
Please contact Mayor Mamdani and ask him to:
- Enforce NYC laws at Kaporos sites.
- Investigate reports of animal cruelty and other violations while Kaporos activities are occurring.
- Ensure that City personnel do not facilitate conduct that violates the law.
You can contact the Mayor by mail or online:
Mayor Zohran Mamdani
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
Below is a sample message that you can personalize:
Message topic: Public Safety
Message: Dear Mayor Mamdani, please enforce NYC laws during the annual Kaporos slaughter of chickens on Brooklyn streets and sidewalks. Tens of thousands of chickens are confined in crates, deprived of adequate food and water, subjected to rough handling, and slaughtered outdoors. Please protect public health, enforce animal-cruelty and other applicable laws, and ensure that City personnel do not facilitate conduct that violates the law.
Read the letter UPC sent to Mayor Mamdani.
