The X Games brought thousands of people to Ventura. But this year, the X Games may be known for something more “extreme” than sports. The action sports event was sponsored by fast food chain Sonic, which is at the center of an animal cruelty scandal.
In Sonic’s supply chain, pregnant pigs are confined inside tiny metal cages. These “gestation crates” prevent pigs from even turning around, causing them to develop pressure sores from the bars.
It’s unsurprising that animal scientists have deemed gestation crates unacceptable, comparing them to a life confined to an airplane seat. What is surprising are the giant cesspits of urine and feces underneath the crates. The ammonia is so overpowering that pigs would die within hours without industrial ventilation systems.