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f=/c/a/2006/07/27/BAGDGK692C1.DTL

 

SAN MATEO

Homes sought for 40 chicks

9,000 other turkeys died aboard airplane

Leslie Fulbright, Chronicle Staff Writer

 

Thursday, July 27, 2006

 

 

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Officials at the Peninsula Humane Society are searching for homes for

40 turkey chicks that survived an airline flight on which 9,000 other

baby turkeys died.

 

On July 13, a commercial breeder shipped 11,000 of the newborn chicks

from Detroit to San Francisco International Airport using Northwest

Airlines.

 

" They had specifically requested the boxes go on two separate

flights, " said Scott Delucchi, a spokesman for the Peninsula Humane

Society and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in San

Mateo. " But someone decided to put them all on the same flight. "

 

The boxes containing the chicks, en route to a Fresno farm, were

crammed into the cargo space, and thousands of the birds suffocated

before they made it to SFO.

 

Of the surviving chicks, 2,000 were taken to their initial

destination -- Zacky Farms in Fresno -- where they will be raised for

consumption.

 

The airline later came across 40 live chicks that somehow had been

left behind and contacted the Humane Society for help.

 

On Monday, Northwest Airlines issued a statement apologizing to the

breeder and admitting that cargo personnel had mishandled the

shipment. The breeder, Hybrid Turkeys in Canada, has filed a $104,000

claim with Northwest to cover the cost of the lost turkeys and

shipping.

 

Meanwhile, the SPCA is investigating animal cruelty and will forward

the findings to the San Mateo County district attorney's office.

 

In a separate, more recent, incident, 9,000 chicks were shipped on

July 19 on Air Canada. But the plane experienced mechanical problems

and stopped in a sweltering Las Vegas, according to the Humane

Society and SPCA. More than 2,000 of those chicks died or were not

moving and were later found in trash compacters at SFO, officials

said.

 

" Our district attorney has made this county an unfriendly place for

people who mistreat domestic animals, " Delucchi said. " It will be

interesting to see what they think of animals bred for commercial

reasons.

 

" We feel that all animals need basic protection, whether it is a dog

next door or one that ends up on a plate. "

 

To adopt a turkey, one must live in an area zoned for farm animals

and have some land, Delucchi said. " We are not looking for temporary

homes, through Thanksgiving. "

 

Information on turkey adoptions is available by calling (650) 340-

7022.

 

E-mail Leslie Fulbright at lfulbright.

 

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