PETA protests KFC cruelty

Armed with a poster and four gruesome-looking rubber chickens, Matt Prescott was standing in front of Carson City's Kentucky Fried Chicken at noon Thursday, stumping for the humane treatment of the birds from birth to slaughter.

"We're not asking people to quit eating chicken," he said. "We simply want the industry to adopt basic standards concerning their care. Don't boil them alive."

Prescott is a member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an international organization dedicated to the ethical treatment of animals.

He said the birds are kept in feces-contaminated sheds and fed growth-inducing antibiotics. Their beaks are cut off to prevent pecking and due to the cramped, inhumane conditions, many don't survive. They're taken to slaughter in all weather extremes. Many die along the way, but those who survive are run through a water bath that may or may not render them insensitive to the pain of having their throats slit.

A statement on the company Web site denies PETA's claims and says it is committed to humane treatment of its chickens and is conducting unannounced audits at suppliers' poultry facilities.

Fast-food giants like McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's have all bowed to pressure from PETA and use more humane methods, according to Prescott. Kentucky Fried Chicken is an industry leader and as such, they have the ability to implement changes in the industry, Prescott said.

One man in a large diesel truck taunted Prescott before turning onto Carson Street.

"Want a chicken sandwich?" he said.

Prescott was undaunted as he handed the man a leaflet.

"Quit littering," the man said as he drove off.

"For the most part, we get very positive reception," Prescott said. "I find people everywhere are compassionate and when see the images, they're shocked. More humane practices are the trend as more people learn about the cruelty of factory farming. Kentucky Fried Chicken needs to realize that and follow suit."

The protest is part of an international campaign launched by the organization in January after nearly two years of negotiations with Kentucky Fried Chicken's parent corporation, Yum! Brands.

PETA advocates the following humane practices:

-- Replace crude and ineffcetive electric stunning and throat-slitting with gas killing.

-- Phase out the forced rapid growth of chickens, which causes metabolic disorders and lameness.

-- Add minimal enhancements to pens, like sheltered areas and perches.

-- Implementation of automated chicken-catching, a process that reduces the high incidence of bruising, broken bones and stress associated with catching birds by hand