United Poultry Concerns (UPC) chicken lover Karen Davis, who sleeps with chickens in her bed, has said chickens are “interesting and personable” and “intelligent,” saying one favored feathered friend is “a lovely flower who just happens to be a bird.” Now, her organization is talking up the intelligence of vegetables:
“What about plants? Don’t plants have feelings too?” UPC’s web site asks. “It is very possible that plants have sensitivities that we do not yet understand… it has generally been assumed that they do not experience pain and suffering. Recent scientific evidence suggests that this assumption may be incorrect.” To become a plant-rights activist, just stop eating meat, UPC suggests: “When we eat animal products, we consume many more plants indirectly than if we ate those plants directly, because the animals we eat are fed huge quantities of grasses, grains, and seeds.”
