Virtual Reality? August 17, 2009

Posted by Rachel-O at August 17, 2009 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBack

advocacy.brittanica / CC

With our Sea Kitten and Woof campaigns, we've definitely tried to hammer it home that no matter what they look like, all animals feel and deserve freedom. As simple of an idea as that may seem to most of us now, to some people, it's just as out there as ever before.

Take for example, a new virtual reality exhibit in New Orleans, where visitors can experience the senses of birds, snakes, dogs, and other animals who are quote, "in our own backyard". It's "fascinating" to be able to hear the sounds of the birds, and see how and what they see in this exhibit. " ... there are things we don't even know how they can be sensed. That's a really fascinating area," Chris LaFayette, of Texas A&M University said.

Well, I know one thing that can be sensed by other birds who might not be in our backyard, but that are even closer—on our plates: fear. But it isn't these birds we'd like to know more about. With AnimalVisual's Virtual Battery Cage, it's definitely easy to get an idea of what's being sensed by the estimated 300 million "egg-laying hens" in the U.S, who will spend their entire lives in a cage roughly the size of a file drawer. They're miserable.



And just like people don't know that some birds can see ultraviolet light (one of the enticing facts about the New Orleans exhibit), most people have no idea that their eggs come from mother birds who will never spread a single wing until they're thrown into a truck bound for slaughter.

Sadly, there may never be a chicken senses exhibit (not that we don't try!), but letting people know about the cruelty of the egg industry is literally a click away—share the Virtual Battery Cage on Facebook by clicking here, put it on your MySpace, or send it to everyone you know through e-mail. Millions of birds thank you!