To the Editor:
A science writer who anticipated the COVID-19 pandemic years before it devastated the world now identifies bird flu as the most probable trigger for the next pandemic. Fortunately, there is a solution to halting H5N1: Stop raising animals for food.
The meat industry is the perfect breeding ground for outbreaks like bird flu. Farms pack thousands—sometimes millions—of genetically uniform birds into cramped, unsanitary conditions, making them highly susceptible to disease. If we truly want to prevent future pandemics, we must go vegan.
Chickens are intelligent, social animals who can recognize over 100 faces and even dream. Yet, billions suffer in the meat and egg industries, where they can’t do anything natural or important to them. Hens exploited for eggs are often confined to tiny cages, and male chicks are often killed at birth. Those raised for meat are bred to grow unnaturally fast, leading to painful health issues. And at slaughter, chickens face painful deaths—often while fully conscious.
Every animal is someone. So, please, let’s go vegan.
Rebecca Libauskas
Norfolk, VA
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Libauskas is a climate research specialist with The PETA Foundation