{"id":774109,"date":"2023-11-09T07:48:13","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T12:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/animalrightswatch.us\/?p=774109"},"modified":"2023-11-09T08:33:47","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T13:33:47","slug":"r-i-p-karen-davis-leading-animal-rights-advocate-who-spoke-for-the-birds-dies-at-79","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/animalrightswatch.us\/?p=774109","title":{"rendered":"R.I.P. Karen Davis: Leading voice for animal rights and factory farmed birds passed away"},"content":{"rendered":"\t
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Karen Davis made people think for the first time about who birds raised on farms truly are. That chickens, who are among the most abused individuals on the planet, have thoughts, feelings, and hopes for a pain-free existence, just as we do. She was also unafraid to offend or court controversy, as evidenced by the title of her third animal rights book 'The Holocaust & the Henmaid\u2019s Tale: A Case for Comparing Atrocities'. The book argued that there were significant parallels between the murder of 6 million Jews during the Holocaust and the mistreatment of animals at factory farms.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\n

HARRISON SMITH:<\/strong> Karen Davis, an academic turned animal rights activist who campaigned on behalf of chickens, turkeys and other barnyard fowl, arguing for the dignity of \u201cnonhuman animals,\u201d as she put it, while promoting veganism, crusading against the modern poultry industry and turning her home into a sanctuary for chickens, died Nov. 4 at her residence in Machipongo, Va. She was 79…<\/em><\/p>\n

Her death was announced by United Poultry Concerns (UPC), a nonprofit organization she founded in 1990 and led until her death. The group did not cite a cause, but Ms. Davis had cancer and had been in declining health after a fall in 2021…<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cShe was pretty private about her illness,\u201d Franklin Wade, a UPC vice president, said in an email. \u201cShe didn\u2019t want people worrying about her and interrupting her to see how she was doing. She had work to do. She never slowed down.\u201d \u201cIn her mind,\u201d he added, \u201cyou just find what you were meant to do, and you do it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

For Ms. Davis, that meant organizing, writing, lecturing and protesting on behalf of domesticated birds, including the more than 9 billion chickens slaughtered each year in the United States…<\/em><\/p>\n

Ms. Davis \u201cmade countless people think for the first time about who birds raised on farms truly are,\u201d Ingrid Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, wrote in a blog post Monday. \u201cHer work helped humans recognize that chickens, who are among the most abused individuals on the planet, have thoughts, feelings, and hopes for a pain-free existence, just as we do”…<\/em><\/p>\n

She turned to activism, leaving the University of Maryland after 12 years as a teacher to compile vegan recipes, publish a quarterly magazine for UPC and write books including \u201cPrisoned Chickens, Poisoned Eggs\u201d (1996), a scathing takedown of slaughterhouses and processing plants, which she considered incubators of suffering and disease.<\/em><\/p>\n

While poultry companies insisted that their chickens were killed humanely, Ms. Davis scoffed, insisting that they were missing the point. \u201cWhat\u2019s the best way to slaughter babies?\u201d she would ask, rhetorically… At times, however, her uncompromising approach to animal rights could be alienating and abrasive.<\/em><\/p>\n

Martin Rowe, executive director of the Culture & Animals Foundation, noted in a tribute that \u201cshe was unafraid to offend or court controversy,\u201d as evidenced by the title of her third animal rights book, \u201cThe Holocaust & the Henmaid\u2019s Tale: A Case for Comparing Atrocities\u201d (2005). The book argued that there were significant parallels between the murder of 6 million Jews during the Holocaust and the mistreatment of animals at factory farms.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cTimidity and reticence were not what the chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and other domesticated birds she dedicated so many decades of her life to defending needed,\u201d Rowe wrote. \u201cTheir plight demanded someone who was not afraid to speak out, and that person was Karen”…<\/em><\/p>\n

The growth of factory farms seemed only to increase Ms. Davis\u2019s commitment to her cause. Once, The Post reported in 1999, she received a letter from a skeptic who insisted that she would never be able to end the animal cruelty she railed against. She replied, \u201cThere\u2019s nothing you can do but as much as you can, in your allotted lifetime”. SOURCE…<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

STATEMENT FROM UNITED POULTRY CONCERNS (UPC):<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Dear Friends,<\/em><\/p>\n

It is with a heavy heart that we share with you the passing of Karen Davis, PhD. After a long illness, she passed away peacefully on the morning of November 4, 2023 at the UPC sanctuary surrounded by her beloved birds. She has been a leading figure in the Animal Rights movement, passionately, tirelessly and unapologetically advocating for the birds. She has been an inspiration to many of us. We will continue her vision and legacy through our sanctuary at Machipongo, VA, and vegan advocacy work to promote our mission. We will be sending information about a memorial service to celebrate Karen’s life and work.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sincerely,<\/em>
\nAll of us at UPC<\/em><\/p>\n

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