Advertisement

More than 160 chicks 'that didn't sell at Easter' dumped and left to die

Yahoo! UK

More than 160 chicks have been dumped and left to die at a roadside ahead of Easter, likely because they didn’t sell before the holiday, the RSPCA said.

The animal welfare charity said it believed the two batches of chicks that had been abandoned were linked and had a “connection to Easter”.

Two batches of chicks have been dumped at the roadside and "left to die", the RSPCA said. Source: RSPCA
Two batches of chicks have been dumped at the roadside and "left to die", the RSPCA said. Source: RSPCA

England’s RSPCA was called after 81 live chicks and 60 dead ones were discovered on North Road, Tydd St Mary, near Wisbech, in northeast England on April 13.

More were left at the roadside on Franks Lane in Newton, Cambridgeshire, on March 29.

The surviving chicks are currently being cared for by the RSPCA at its Block Fen Animal Centre.

RSPCA spokesperson Amy Okelford said the two incidents are expected to be linked and related to Easter.

Ms Okelford said the chicks could have been intended for sale to people who wanted chickens as pets but they “failed to sell in time” for Easter.

RSPCA inspector Justin Stubbs added: “As you can imagine, having to care for a large number of chicks and finding space for them can prove to be difficult, but we are grateful to a number of people who have come forward to offer homes to these birds.

“Whoever dumped these birds had effectively left them to die, they had no access to nearby food or water or shelter from predators and had they not been found, then sadly the rest would have perished as well.”

The cruel discovery comes as a woman in California was caught on CCTV throwing a plastic bag into a bin, believed to have contained seven newborn puppies.

Last month in South Australia, 12 puppies less than a month old were lucky to be found alive after they were dumped in a plastic box without their mum.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, download the Yahoo News app from iTunes or Google Play and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo’s daily newsletter. Sign up here.