Calves Hog-Tied, Loaded Into Trunk Outside 'Swap Meet': Video

KANKAKEE, IL — Video and photographs of apparent instances of animal cruelty were captured earlier this month during a "swap meet" held at the Kankakee County Fairgrounds. Christy Slaby, an animal rights activist and volunteer with Crate Free Illinois, says she shot the video that shows two calves being "hog-tied" and stuffed into the truck of a car outside the fairgrounds on Oct. 8. Slaby also shared photos with Patch that show snakes being kept in Tupperware and chickens and rabbits held in small cages, as well as a video of a number of pigs left out in the cold.

Slaby says she wasn't acting in any capacity with Crate Free Illinois when she visited the swap meet that's held regularly at the fairgrounds, but mainly as a general farm animal activist. She said rumors surfaced of possible animal cruelty taking place at these events, so she decided to gather photo and video evidence of that if it occurred during her visit.

Also, a recent Kankakee County ordinance banning the sale of cats and dogs at these events was recently enforced and Slaby was also interested in making sure the new law is being followed there.

While there was no indication of domestic animal sales taking place, Slaby points to a few other instances of what could be considered animal cruelty. A series of photos below show a portion of what she witnessed during the visit.

But the most blatant display was actually caught on video. Slaby says this clip below was taken as she was walking to the meet in a parking area outside fairgrounds property. It shows two men tying up a pair of calves and loading them into the trunk of a small car.

"I saw what was going on and took a moment to realize — that yes, they are actually going to put these cows in the trunk," Slaby said.

"I couldn't believe it was happening," she said. "They were really going to wind up in the cars and go home."

Slaby says she wasn't able to identify the people and couldn't get a clear license plate number from where she was.

"I did it to raise awareness," she said of filming the video and sharing it on YouTube and her personal Facebook page. "We don't know what purpose these people saw in the calves, nor how long they would be locked in the trunk. They could have gone 10 miles away, but maybe they came from out of state. We don't know."

Marc Ayers, the Humane Society of the United State's state director for Illinois, called the video "disturbing."

"Seeing any animal hog-tied and put into a trunk of a car is hard to watch," he said. "There's this perception that it is different if it is a farm animal and not someone's pet. If someone saw a dog or dogs tied like this, they would call the police."

Ayers said people "should be cognizant that any animal should be treated fairly."

He points to an Illinois Humane Care for Animals law, which covers any animal — domestic or wild.

"These calves were in the trunk with no access to air, ventilation or water," Ayers said. "The law could certainly apply to what happened to them."

Another video Slaby shared shows a group of pigs shivering while left out in the cold.

"They were about 7-week-old piglets in a cage in the back of a pick-up truck," Slaby said. "They were on plastic flooring and sitting on wet shavings. The pigs were shivering and a farmer was sitting right next to them. They kept re-positioning themselves to get warmer."

"There was a tarp right there next to them, why couldn't they at least put the tarp over them so they wouldn't be so cold?"

The swap meets at the Kankakee County Fairgrounds are organized by the Tri-K Pigeon & Bantam Club. A representative from the organization did not return a call requesting a comment on this story.

According to one poultry group's description of the Kankakee County swap meet from a few years ago in an event on Facebook:

"If you are looking for a place to sell or a place to buy you might want to add this to your calendar."

The Facebook event posting was from 2013. Slaby says they are still held every other Sunday from April through the end of October.

Ayers says he's been in touch with the Kankakee County Animal Control Office and the Kankakee County State's Attorney's Office over the incident involving the calves.

He also thinks the Department of Agriculture should have "some presence at these events to ensure that the transport of these animals is done in a safe and humane way."

Image via YouTube screenshot