Article 6

In May 2, 2025, over 12,000 chicks were found abandoned inside a USPS truck at a delivery center in Delaware, USA. The chicks, shipped from a Pennsylvania hatchery to farms nationwide, were left in the truck for three days due to a USPS arrangement error. Roughly 4,000 chicks were already dead when discovered, with the surviving 8,000 taken in by animal shelters for adoption. However, only a few hundred chicks found new owners by mid-May.

Animal welfare organizations and citizens have criticized the practice of shipping live animals by mail due to the stress and risks it poses. In Japan, while Japan Post announced the end of mammal, bird, and reptile deliveries in March 2025, they continue to accept shipments of seafood, insects, and amphibians. Similarly, major courier companies do not handle pets or birds, but there remains a lack of clear safety and handling conditions for insect and fish shipments.