Publications
Partners
Johanesburg - Thousands of chickens died after a truck transporting them overturned near Rustenburg in the North West, the NSPCA said on Tuesday.
"The truck was carrying approximately 13 600 chickens when the accident occurred on the R52 between Koster and Rustenburg on Monday afternoon," National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) spokesperson Andries Venter said.
"On arrival... inspectors discovered thousands of dead birds at the scene and several thousand severely injured birds."
The driver of the truck lost control of the vehicle and it overturned.
The chickens were being transported by logistics company Unitrans who were contracted by Rainbow Chicken to transport the birds to a Rainbow abattoir in Rustenburg, he said.
The chickens that suffered serious injuries were transported to an abattoir and slaughtered.
"Inspectors worked through the night into the early hours of Tuesday morning emergency slaughtering about 3 476 severely injured birds to end their suffering."
The cause of the accident was being investigated.
