This morning, Animal Rising has revealed the rescue of a sick hen, named “Babs,” from an RSPCA Assured Farm. The rescue occurred in March 2024, with the group releasing full footage and story today.
The hen was rescued from an intensive egg farm in Kent by Rose Patterson, Animal Rising Co-Director, and Daniel Juniper, one of the individuals who redecorated a portrait of King Charles III with Wallace last week [1].
Babs was in critical condition when the two rescuers reached her, with severe feather loss from the conditions she was kept in. She is now living in a sanctuary, after receiving veterinary care and making a full recovery.
Animal Rising has continued calling on the RSPCA to drop the Assured scheme and tell the truth about farming animals, after the group’s damning investigation into over 40 randomly selected farms part of the scheme [2].
In a shock announcement, Animal Rising can reveal that the group took action to rescue a hen, named “Babs” after the popular Chicken Run character, from appalling conditions inside an RSPCA Assured farm. As standard industry practice, laying hens are killed in the UK before they reach 18 months old. [3]
Daniel Juniper, a former Early Years Practitioner said:
“The British public is being systematically lied to by the RSPCA. It’s almost unbelievable that we had to rescue Babs from the RSPCA to stop her from suffering inside one of their factory farms. It’s scenes like this that compelled us to draw King Charles’ attention by redecorating his portrait. We firmly believe His Majesty would be appalled at the suffering happening across the farms we’ve investigated.
We are overjoyed that Babs will now get to live a long and happy life, but the thousands of other chickens in the same intensive shed won’t get the same. The RSPCA needs to step up and match their words with action by protecting animals. The charity urgently needs to stop participating in industrial animal cruelty.”
The farm that Babs was rescued from was one of over 40 detailed in an extensive report released on 9/6/24 by Animal Rising [4]. Video released today by the group shows the cramped and filthy conditions that Babs was forced to live in whilst under the alleged “high welfare” RSPCA Assured Scheme - with numerous dead chickens found there on prior investigations. Animal Rising has said that more “open rescue” releases will follow this summer.
Rose Patterson, Animal Rising Co-Director said:
“There is just no way to farm animals kindly; the RSPCA is selling the British public a nightmare dressed up as a daydream. Now is the time for CEO Chris Sherwood to step up and take the world’s oldest animal charity into a new era.
We shouldn't have to rescue animals from RSPCA Assured farms. We should be working together to remove animals from our food system.”
Animal Rising is a social movement to create a new relationship with all beings and give us a chance for a safe ecological future. The group primarily calls for the transition to a secure and sustainable plant-based food system, alongside a mass rewilding programme.
ENDS
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