SF/SPCA Statement on Live Animal Markets
 The San Francisco SPCA has conducted a number of independent
examinations of the conditions in San Francisco's live animal markets.
The conditions we witnessed included intense overcrowding, failure to
provide for the animals' most basic needs, and inhumane methods of
slaughter. For instance, we saw a turtle having its shell sliced from its
body, while totally alive.
Some have defended these conditions as necessary to maintaining San Francisco's cultural diversity. They have also suggested that these conditions are consistent with "industry" standards, and even that they are appropriate for animals intended as food, not pets.
 But the fact that animals in San Francisco markets are sold to be killed and eaten does not mean these creatures don't feel and can't suffer. And the fact that markets sell them to be killed and eaten does not mean these dealers have a license to inflict needless suffering on the animals beforehand.
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