The Letter

Dear Mayor Mamdani,

I am writing to urge you to use your authority to shut down New York City's live animal markets immediately. A recent undercover investigation by Animal Outlook has revealed shocking animal cruelty and serious public health violations at these facilities that demand immediate action.

The investigation documented disturbing conditions including:

• Severe overcrowding with chickens crammed into small wire cages with no room to move or spread their wings
• Inhumane throat slitting of conscious birds without proper stunning
• Workers roughly handling birds, throwing them, and piling them into shopping carts
• Birds with extensive feather loss, likely from stress and pecking
• Animals deprived of food and water, visibly shivering in damp conditions
• Multiple species housed in close proximity, creating conditions ripe for disease transmission

These animal welfare abuses are compounded by alarming public health risks. State regulators have cited NYC's live markets for more than 650 violations between 2022 and 2025, including over 100 critical deficiencies such as rat and cockroach infestations, lack of proper sterilization, accumulation of dried blood, and falsified cleaning records. Workers routinely use public sidewalks and city drainage systems to wash away chicken blood and viscera.

Despite repeated citations and fines, these violations continue year after year. The current regulatory system has clearly failed, and these markets operate with virtual impunity while animals suffer and public health remains at risk.

You have the authority and responsibility to protect both animals and public health by shutting down these operations. New Yorkers should not have to tolerate facilities that systematically violate sanitation laws and inflict cruelty on animals in our residential neighborhoods.

I urge you to take immediate action to close NYC's live animal markets and ensure that your city upholds basic standards of animal welfare and public health.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.