4,000 chickens buried alive in Thailand’s south

WARNING: Some readers will find the story upsetting

PHOTOS: Khaosod

An upsetting video was been posted online showing almost 4,000 chickens being destroyed by being buried alive. They were thrown in one by one into a pit filled with mud. Many Netizens slammed the authorities saying this is extremely cruel and questioned whether it was necessary to deal with the issue in such a cruel manner. The video, dated November 22, shows officials from the Songkhla Animal Quarantine Station in Hat Yai District destroying the 4,000 chickens that had been smuggled in from Malaysia the day before.

Officials chose to kill them all by burying them alive in an area behind the Animal Quarantine Office where illegal animals are put to death.

Netizens question if this gruesome method is justified. The chickens are thrown into a muddy pit full of water. The chicken’s struggle whilst the rest of the chickens are then thrown in on top slowly filling up the pit. The ones that survive from drowning are then covered over with dirt.

The Khaosod News Team was informed by the Songkhla Animal Quarantine that there were 3,984 chickens buried alive. The chickens were seized from a group that smuggled many truckloads of chickens in from Malaysia through the border on November 19, according to Thai Resident.

After the chickens were seized by customs, they were taken to the Quarantine office for 1 day before being buried and suffocated. Officials who were watch said it took many hours to kill all of the chickens as the pit had to be dug into the ground and it was also raining.

According to the Animal Epidemics Act, Poultry animals that were illegally smuggled into the country must be destroyed to protect it from entering the market as a protection according to the Avian Influenza Universal Precautions. But it turns out the officials took the wrong action to kill the chickens.

According to the Declaration in 2019 from the Department of Livestock Development, animals, especially poultry, are to be destroyed with the principle of Euthanasia also referred to as Mercy Killing.

This is to poison the animals, chemical injection or inhalation, or to pull the neck, killing methods that aim for a quick, painless death. The DLD has issued a “please explain” order to the Songkhla Animal Quarantine.

SOURCE: Thai Residents