300,000 chicks slaughtered when farm ownership changes hands

Nearly 300,000 chickens died of malnutrition at two neighboring farms in Central Russia and were buried in the field of a local village after another company bought the operations.

Almost 200,000 birds died shortly after a local farm was leased to a private company. Half-burned bodies were dumped on agricultural land, partially covered with dirt.That is a breach of regulations.Meanwhile a similar mishap happened at another farm in the region. Over 100,000 chickens died and were left to decompose in the open air, making a breeding ground of infectious diseases.After a long proceeding, a court deemed that such actions were a violation of ecological standards, and now the tenant who cleared his property in this manner must pay a fine of US$3,000, rebury the chicken remains, and re-cultivate the land. However the company has not yet been sued for animal-cruelty.That is not the first time animals have fallen victim to human cruelty. Last year a Russian poultry farm has dumped over one million baby chickens into the freezing cold and left them to die, citing financial problems as reason for the merciless culling.