Huffington Post Covers Pel-Freez Rabbit Cruelty

The Huffington Post has detailed the undercover investigation and legal action brought against Pel-Freez, the notorious slaughterhouse that Last Chance for Animals (LCA) has recently exposed.  The graphic details and footage covered by LCA are disturbing and shocking, and reveal the slaughterhouse as operating with consistent and systematic torture of rabbits.  In response to LCA’s whistleblowing, petition, and legal action, there have been some apparent changes to Pel-Freez, where stun guns are being used.  From their post:

LCA filed a criminal complaint against Pel-Freez, citing cruelty to animals, but Benton County Detective Benjamin Scott found that none of the employees were acting in a “knowingly” cruel manner, and prosecutor Nathan Smith opted not to press charges, according to documents obtained by HuffPost.

Reached for comment, Pel-Freez spokeswoman Regina Stowe directed HuffPost to a report in Arkansas Online, which quoted Stowe as saying that the facility’s practices were in line with industry standards and that veterinarians on site “didn’t find any regulatory noncompliance.”

The Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, however, investigated Pel-Freez as a result of LCA’s findings and “found that some claims of abuse were substantiated and compelled the company to change its practices,” according to a statement FSIS provided to HuffPost.

A spokesperson for FSIS was unable to immediately provide details on what changes the agency compelled Pel-Freez to make. However, Stowe told HuffPost in an email that since the FSIS probe, Pel-Freez has switched to using stun guns — not knives — to stun rabbits.

Regardless of this change, this deplorable practice of raising and slaughtering a massive population of animals is unacceptable.  Animals that we, as a rabbit rescue, consider pets and dear family members, which we strive to protect, nurture, and care for.  In the same sense, LCA is campaigning against the slaughter of cats and dogs in China.  Just imagine how enraged the general public would be if these beloved pets were being sold for meat at Whole Foods.