The school term has started and many teachers will have plans for animal-related school-promoted projects. One often-used project is the embryo development of the life of the birds. The project starts with eggs which then hatch into baby chickes. These young chicks need much more than a project provides. Many die of malnutrition, starvation and dehydration that may not be noticed by teacher or children. After the project is completed, the animals are discarded but there are many compassionate choices including field trips, worksheets, a poster illustrating the development of an embryo. There are books, films, CDs. those chicks that live beyond their tender age end up in poultry markets, fed to captive wild anmals or brought to shelters -- just like Hercules -- and many are killed.

For more information on an alternative to the embryo development project, log on to upc-online.  Meet Hercules -- he was a hatchling from a school-promoted project and when the project was ended and the school term was completed, the teacher gave him to the Associated Humane Societies. Hercules loves people and is hand tamed. He resides at the Tinton Falls facility.

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