Gifting live animals like chicks, ducklings and bunnies during Easter remains a cherished tradition, but public health officials and animal welfare advocates warn of significant risks.
Salmonella outbreaks, animal abandonment, and ecological harm continue to plague this practice, prompting calls for safer alternatives like toys or candy.
In 2024, the
Continue Reading Live animal gifts spark health concerns as Easter nears
Giving live animals as Easter gifts is an age-old tradition, but this practice raises serious concerns among public health officials and animal rights advocates. Despite repeated warnings about the risks associated with this practice, hundreds of illnesses and even deaths, both human and animal, continue to occur each year.
From
Continue Reading Easter tradition under scrutiny: The health risks of live animal gifts
Giving live animals as Easter gifts has been a long-standing tradition, but there are serious public health and humane concerns. Year after year hundreds of human illnesses and agonizing deaths for baby chicks, ducks and rabbits are caused by this gift-giving tradition. However, this has done nothing to curb the
Continue Reading Easter baskets without live bunnies, chicks and ducklings are best
This year Kinder Easter treats across the world, including the U.S., have been recalled in response to a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak in Europe and the United Kingdom.
With eight countries having reported 119 confirmed and 28 probable infections, a number of parents may be concerned about how to keep their
Continue Reading Leave Salmonella out of Easter surprises
Giving live animals as Easter gifts has been a tradition for decades, as a child I received a rabbit one Easter and baby chicks the Easter after. And beside my anecdotal evidence of the chicks wreaking havoc in my family’s backyard, there are serious humane and public health reasons to
Continue Reading Leave the live bunnies, chicks and ducklings out of the basket
More than a fourth of 212 people infected with Salmonella from backyard flocks so far this year are children younger than 5 years old, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting six separate outbreaks across 44 states.
The CDC posted a public warning in recent days; “This investigation
Continue Reading Backyard flocks spreading Salmonella; 6 outbreaks ongoing
Baby chick season is upon us.
Some say the big question is whether the chicken or the egg came first, but public health pros say a more important question is whether you know the food safety do’s and don’ts involved with backyard flocks.
In 2017, live poultry was responsible for
Continue Reading Spring chickens have sprung; CDC warns of pathogen dangers
The time of year has arrived for baby chicks and ducklings to hatch out into the world, bringing with them annual warnings to help protect against the risk of Salmonella infection. Every year, multiple outbreaks of Salmonella from newborn birds are estimated to sicken thousands of Americans. In the past
Continue Reading Hatching Season for Baby Birds Prompts Annual Salmonella Warnings
As of Sept. 23, 344 people in 42 states and Puerto Rico have been sickened by one of three outbreak strains of Salmonella linked to contact with live poultry, according to the latest update released Thursday from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 
No deaths have been
Continue Reading Salmonella Strains Linked to Live Poultry Sicken 344 People in 42 States
At least 251 people in 37 states have become ill with one of three strains of Salmonella in connection with live chicks and ducklings sold by Cincinnati-based Mt. Healthy Hatcheries, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That number is nearly double the 126 cases reported
Continue Reading Salmonella Cases from Live Poultry Nearly Double
