alternatives to chick hatching project

From: pattrice jones[pattrice@bravebirds.org]
Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2023 10:22 AM
To: dfausnaugh@oberlinlibrary.org
Subject: alternatives to chick hatching project

Greetings,

I write as the coordinator of a sanctuary offering refuge to chickens. Over the years, we have taken in many survivors of classroom hatching experiments, and so I can tell you from experience that grotesque disabilities are not uncommon among birds hatched through such projects.

By now, you are aware of the many other harms associated with chick-hatching projects, so I will not recap those. Instead, allow me to make you aware of the Humane Education program here at VINE Sanctuary, which offers virtual field trips to the sanctuary for library groups. I will be happy to put you in touch with children’s librarians who have participated in that program.

As it happens, I am also the chair of my local public library’s board of trustees. From my work in that capacity, I know that there are many other ways to offer children opportunities to learn about animals without harming animals in the process. I strongly urge you and your youth librarian to consult with other libraries to discover the wealth of ways to teach life sciences and respect for animals at the same time. You may also wish to visit the website of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative, which offers a wealth of ideas on how to promote respect for the larger-than-human world.

Public libraries are among the last bastions of truth in our troubled times. If you insist on continuing the chick-hatching project, then I implore you to be truthful with the children. Explain to them that chicks are meant to be hatched by their mothers. Explain that the incessant chirps are cries for help and comfort from birds who are supposed to be under their mother’s wings, not artificial lights. Make sure that they understand that these chicks are crying for their mothers, whom they will never see. Encourage the children to have empathy for that sorrow and to contemplate their role in causing it.

Sincerely,

pattrice jones
Coordinator, VINE Sanctuary

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Help Us Shut Down Oberlin Public Library's CRUEL Chick Hatching Events!