FRESNO, Calif. – Burglars recently broke into a Foster Farms plant and killed nearly 1,000 chickens using a golf club and another weapon, investigators with the Fresno County Sheriff's Office reported.
Sheriff's deputies responded to a call from the facility in Caruthers, Calif., near Fresno. Investigators said the suspects "pulled back a portion of the fence and entered the chicken shed. Once inside, the suspects used a golf club, and possibly another similar-type instrument, to slaughter the birds."
Foster Farms called said the perpetrator(s) "committed an unconscionable act of animal cruelty".
"This appears to be a random act of violence," the company said in a statement. "It is the express policy of Foster Farms to treat its birds humanely and with compassion. Any intentional act to the contrary is unacceptable. In 2013, the company became the first major US poultry producer to earn American Humane Certification by the American Humane Association."
Officials at Foster Farms said 920 chickens were killed, with an estimated loss of $5,000. The company is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the individuals responsible for the crime.