Vegan activists clashed with police and firefighters after a lorry carrying 640 live Christmas turkeys overturned on a roundabout near a busy junction of the M5 this morning.
Several of the birds escaped and were spotted by stunned motorists making a break for freedom after the truck crashed and shed its load on the A38 in Wychbold, Worcester, at around 10am.
Animal rights campaigners raced to the scene and confronted rescue workers as they were pulling surviving birds from the wreckage, urging them to let them go.
Several of the birds escaped and were spotted by stunned motorists making a break for freedom after the truck crashed and shed its load on the A38 in Wychbold, Worcester
Officers asked protesters to keep away from the crash site for their own safety but they refused to move, claiming many of the animals would be deemed unfit for eating and ‘have their throats cut’.
Distressing footage showed blood-soaked hutches lying on the ground strewn with feathers, as activists pleaded in vain to be allowed to take the injured birds away to give them a ‘safe home’.
The surviving animals were later returned to the farmer who owns them but one bird was taken to a sanctuary after a protester shielded it with her body and refused to hand it over to police.
Video filmed by vegan campaigner ‘Earthling Ed’ was broadcast live on Facebook and viewed more than 12,000 times.
It shows him arguing with firefighters and police officers who ask him to stand back so they can do their jobs but he insists he has every legal right to be there.
He asks the incident commander how he can ‘morally justify’ taking the birds away to be ‘killed needlessly’ – claiming injured turkeys cannot be slaughtered for food.
The firefighter replies: ‘I’m responsible for the health and safety of everyone on this site, ok? If I can’t guarantee the safety I’ve got to stop the operation.’
The protester pleads with him to let him take some of the animals so he can find them a home but he refuses.
Footage showed blood-soaked hutches lying on the ground strewn with feathers, as activists pleaded in vain to be allowed to take the injured birds away to give them a ‘safe home’
He says: ‘We’ve got RSPCA in attendance, we’ve got a vet in attendance. With regards animal welfare there’s nothing more that we can do.’
A police officer intervenes in the row and asks the activist: ‘What’s your objective here?’
He replies: ‘Our objective is to take these animals, the ones that are not gonna be slaughtered for any reason, to take them to get a nice home in a sanctuary.’
He calls the treatment of the turkeys ‘cruel’ and asks the officer how he can ‘allow them to die for no reason.’
One bird is seen frantically flapping its wings as a worker pulls it out of a hutch by its legs and the protester moves inside the cordon.
A protester pleaded with a police officer to let him take some of the animals so he could find them a home but he refused. Pictured: The overturned lorry by the side of the road
He is surrounded by officers who warn he is ‘getting in the way’.
He replies: ‘These animals are suffering and in pain and obviously frightened because they’ve just crashed on a motorway and we’re arguing about whether I should stand here or not. How can you own a life? These are living beings.’
The footage caused upset to many viewers online, who complained about the way emergency services were handling the turkeys.
Soosie Woosie commented: ‘The way they manhandle the birds!! Horrific!’
Leah Emily said: ‘Why don’t they understand that the animals are just as important as humans? Poor turkeys.’
Chloe Hutton said: ‘What actually is their reason as to why they cannot be taken to a sanctuary? I don’t understand why it isn’t allowed?’
Catherine Bunting added: ‘They’ll be murdered and thrown in a bin as ‘waste’ if they’re injured.’
West Mercia Police confirmed some of the birds were killed in the crash. Pictured: An ambulance drives past the turkeys
West Mercia Police confirmed some of the birds were killed in the crash.
A force spokesman said: ‘At approximately 10am this morning, West Mercia Police were called to reports of an overturned trailer containing turkeys on J5 of the M5/A38.
‘Highways England, the fire and rescue service and the ambulance service were also in attendance. There were no reported injuries.
‘RSPCA were also called to the scene, a number of turkeys died as a result of the incident. The road has now reopened.
‘Once recovery was completed and emergency services ensured that members of the public and animals were safe, the remaining turkeys were handed back to their owner.’