People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India – with the help of film star Adah Sharma – will throw a Christmas party for chickens on December 23, the day before Christmas Eve. PETA India recently rescued the hens from slaughter, but before they head to their new sanctuary home, they will enjoy a festive lunch of sweet corn, fruit, and other foods that they love, all at a table beautifully decorated for Christmas. 

An estimated one million chickens are killed for food every four hours in India. As seen in PETA India's exposé Glass Walls, their throats are often cut while they're still conscious. They are raised in crowded, filthy sheds and are bred and given drugs to grow so big, so fast that they often collapse under their own weight. At around 6 weeks of age, they're transported to slaughterhouses, where their throats are slit with dull knives. 

"PETA India encourages everyone to offer chickens a little peace on Earth by leaving them off the holiday table," says PETA India Senior Campaigns Coordinator Radhika Suryavanshi. "When it comes to having feelings, loving our families, and valuing our own lives, we're all the same, whether we have feathers or fingers." 

Photo credit: Arisa Chattasa on Unsplash