[ad_1]
About 23,000 chicks died after being put in cardboard boxes and abandoned in a Madrid airport for at least three days without food or water, Spanish authorities said.
When authorities found the baby chickens at an open-air cargo terminal over the weekend, about 6,000 had already died and the others were trying to survive by eating the remains of the dead, the country’s National Police said in a statement from press on Wednesday.
Spanish National Police
The chicks were only a few days old when they were found in a Madrid airport.
The chicks, who were only a few days old, were also suffering from hypothermia due to the cold weather outside, according to the statement.
Only 3,000 of the 26,000 chicks that were found ended up surviving.
READ MORE:
* Long time animal lover embarks on home veterinary nurse service
* Ninety years with a collection of 10,000 egg cups full of treasures along the way
* Fish: the forgotten disaster of animal welfare?
* Premium flavor sensations with a heart of gold
* The country cracks down on selfies of ‘cruel’ animals
A preliminary investigation found that the boxes where they were being transported broke due to the rain, making it “impossible” to continue shipping, police said.
Authorities said the birds, which were left at the Madrid-Barajas airport sometime last week, were found in “deplorable” and “overcrowded” conditions.
“The rottenness of the dead animals caused a strong odor that further worsened the poor conditions of those who still lived,” police said.
The airport reportedly contacted the company in charge of transporting the birds, but the company was not responsible for them, according to the statement.
Spanish National Police
Animal protection groups were called in to help the chicks that survived.
The surviving animals were taken to two animal protection organizations, CNN reported. Carolina Corral, president of one of those groups, described the scene as “horrifying.”
“We did not know what to do to give them the best chance of survival because we had never faced a situation like this,” he told the network.
Police said the investigation is ongoing.
– New York Daily News
