Activists Throw Live Chickens

The apparent disconnect between environmental activism and animal rights was again highlighted by a recent protest organized by Victoria-based Dogwood Initiative. During the protest, student activists threw six live chickens into an office area to protest MLA Ida Chong’s inactivity on protecting the Western Forest Products land, located on Vancouver Island.

The fate of these lands has long been a contentious subject in the community, and, like most environmentalists, I think the lands must be protected. But I strongly disagree with the tactics of throwing and abandoning live animals to make a publicity point about saving forests.

Frankly, aside from the ignorance of the chicken throwers, what has surprised me the most is that the Dogwood Initiative would in anyway associate themselves with such a stupid stunt. Most thinking environmental organizations would run a million miles from assholes throwing lives animals at a protest.

I first heard about the protest via a March 24th Victoria Times Colonist article where witnesses in the local politician’s office stated that the protesters threw the chickens through the door and then ran away.

So I contacted the Dogwood Initiative directly. I wanted to hear why a well-respected environmental group would have any association with such a stupid stunt.

I e-mailed Gordon O’Conner, Forests Campaigner for the Dogwood Initiative, and he sent me their press release that had the title ‘Activists Release Chickens in MLA's Office’. The press release issued by the Dogwood Initiative included the following information:

Student activists released half a dozen chickens into Chong's constituency office as part of a community rally protesting the minister's failure to address the problem her government created.

"Ida Chong helped create a huge problem three years ago and she hasn’t done a thing to resolve it," said UVic Student Edward Pullman. "Today, we brought a problem home to roost in her office to remind her that this community has not forgotten her mistakes."

When I sent Gordon O’Conner a second e-mail he replied with:

It wasn't Dogwood's choice to release chickens [sic], it was done by an independent group of students who organized themselves. I here [sic] all of your concerns about the use of animals, but I am told that the chickens were rescued from a very nasty egg farm.  Apparently there were 100 birds living on a two-foot pile of their own filth somewhere in Saanich. Six of them now have a nice home on a farm somewhere outside the city.

If you had nothing to do with the stunt, then why issue a press release linking the chicken throwing incident to your peaceful rally?

There was also some misinformation in his second e-mail. The chickens do not have a nice home at a farm. They are living at the Animal Control compound until someone claims them or they are adopted.

Another source of confusion is the implied belief that the chickens are somehow better off after being taken from a battery hen farm, thrown into an office and abandoned. You want to help or rescue abused chickens – my advice is that you skip the throwing them around part.

There has been considerable backlash to this chicken throwing PR prank. Less than one day after the story ran, The Vancouver Humane Society publicly criticized the use of live chickens at the protest. The B.C. SPCA Victoria branch manager said in a second Times Colonist article that the protesters should use pies or rubber chickens instead of live animals. There has also been considerable backlash on Twitter, Facebook and in numerous newspapers' comment sections.

The Dogwood Initiative, after issuing the press release where they associated themselves with the incident, and posting one of the news stories on the front page of their website (which has since been removed), decided to respond to the backlash and issue the statement that “…they were not involved in the stunt...”.

Update: They recently issued a formal apology for the stunt (read their apology here).

I think the person who said any publicity is good publicity would admit they were wrong in this case. I can only speak for myself, but the association with the chicken throwing incident has tarnished the reputation of the Dogwood Initiative. Maybe if they had simply apologized, said it was a bad idea and distanced themselves entirely from the action (no press release, no front page stories), it would have all blown over.

We all make mistakes, but knowing when it is time to apologize and move on is the hallmark of a mature organization that is fully engaged with their supporters and wants to run a transparent operation. Continuing to find a justification, however convoluted, for wrong action or association with wrong action, only further tarnishes the reputation of that organization and the causes they support.

Valerie Williams is the editor of GreenMuze.com. She lives on Salt Spring Island with several chickens rescued from a battery hen farm, chickens that will never be thrown at a protest.

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