PETA has long heralded Prince Charles' stand against serving cruelly produced foie gras at Royal functions. So when the group recently rescued three geese from torture and slaughter at a foie gras farm in France, it could think of nothing more appropriate than naming one of the birds after a true friend, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales – who celebrates his 64th birthday on 14 November.
PETA has sent the heir to the throne a framed certificate commemorating the tribute.
Foie gras is produced by force-feeding ducks and geese huge amounts of grain through a metal tube that is shoved down their throats several times a day. Force-feeding birds such a massive volume of food causes their livers to swell to as much as 10 times their normal size, resulting in a disease known as “hepatic steatosis”. The pipes sometimes puncture the birds’ throats, and many birds suffer from ruptured internal organs, fungal and bacterial infections and liver failure. A recent PETA UK investigation into foie gras farms in France from which Fortnum & Mason’s distributor obtains foie gras revealed terrified geese who pant constantly because their distended livers press against their lungs. At the abattoir, the birds kicked and struggled to lift their heads after a knife had been plunged into their throats. They had not been stunned first – in violation of French animal welfare laws.
“The Prince has taken an admirable stand against a product so vile that its production is banned in the UK”, says PETA Senior Programmes Manager Yvonne Taylor. “We could think of no better tribute than to name one of the gentle geese rescued from a foie gras farm during our investigation in his honour.”
“Prince Charles” will now spend the rest of his days at an animal sanctuary in France along with a fellow escapee who evaded the force-feeding villains – a goose named Sir Roger after PETA’s foie gras campaign ambassador, Sir Roger Moore.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.
