X Games, Sonic, and Sows in Crates

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.

The lack of stimulation causes these intelligent, social animals to bite at their cages or the air. Pigs who have endured many pregnancy cycles are often silent and unmoving, a condition referred to as “acute social defeat.”

If this sounds unacceptable to you, you’re not alone — California, with 10 other states, has voted to restrict gestation crates. Sonic once understood its customers’ disapproval, pledging to eliminate crates in 2012, but it has since reported no progress. Its competitors — Burger King, McDonald’s, and Chipotle — have taken meaningful steps.

While X Games competitors showed off their best tricks, the competition’s main sponsor won’t even allow pregnant pigs to turn around. I hope the X Games will use its influence to encourage Sonic to do what is right.