ByJOSH BOSWELL, CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
Published:11:32 EDT, 24 April 2026|Updated:15:15 EDT, 24 April 2026
An undercover investigation has exposed 'filthy' and 'inhumane' conditions in New York live animal markets, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Nonprofit Animal Outlook used hidden cameras to expose the stomach-churning situation at five markets in Long Island andNew York City– while city records show more than 2,000 sanitation violations at similar firms in the past four years.
Experts warned that, in addition to shocking cruelty, the conditions also pose a worrying public health risk, pointing to a statewide five-day shutdown of markets last year following abird fluoutbreak.
Animal Outlook chief Ben Williamson said evidence of 'routine animal cruelty and public health hazards' is 'overwhelming and undeniable,' and called on city mayor Zohran Mamdani to 'protect both animals and public health by shutting down these operations immediately'.
Undercover footage inside the markets showed metal cages rammed with chickens, ducks, pigeons, rabbits, sheep and goats, which staff slaughter on-premises when a customer buys them.
In one market, stressed chickens with feathers pecked out were crammed into tiny wire cages with barely enough room to turn around. Some were visibly shivering in damp conditions.
Workers were caught on film throwing the birds and piling them into shopping carts before taking them to the slaughter room.
Hidden camera footage from a back room at one market appears to show a bird, improperly stunned, still twitching after its throat was cut.
Source: Drudge Report
