01｜A New Friend at Our Sanctuary
The Animal Rights Center’s sanctuary is home to five rescued pigs and six chickens.
And now, we have welcomed a new friend: Yu, a rescued broiler chicken!
In 2025, an astonishing number of young meat chickens were slaughtered for food in Japan:
Approximately 750 million chickens.1
Among so many chickens, Yu was miraculously rescued.
We don’t know how many broiler chickens in Japan are lucky enough to escape slaughter and find a safe home like Yu.
But imagine that just 10 chickens are rescued this way each year.
That would be roughly one rescued chicken for every 75 million slaughtered — just 0.0000013%!
This is only a hypothetical estimate, not a measured probability of rescue.
Yu is an incredibly lucky chicken.
02｜A Little Luck from Yu 🍀
Yu would love to share a little of that incredible luck with you!
We’ve created a special wallpaper featuring Yu, available for everyone to download for free.
Why not set it as your smartphone wallpaper and keep a little of Yu’s good fortune with you every day?
May a little of Yu’s luck bring something wonderful into your life!
Open the image and save it to your phone!
iPhone：Press and hold the image → Select “Save to Photos” or “Add to Photos.”
Android：Press and hold the image → Select “Download image” or a similar option.
An actual photo of Yu shortly after being rescued.
03｜Yu’s Miraculous Story — How One Life Was Saved
One rainy day, a kind person found a broiler chicken on the road and rescued it. Amazingly, the road was just a short distance from the Animal Rights Center’s sanctuary!
The person posted on a local online bulletin board, hoping to find somewhere safe for the chicken. A nearby resident saw the post and contacted us, thinking the chicken might belong to our sanctuary.
Although the chicken wasn’t ours, we decided to take it in.
At the time, Yu weighed about 3 kg, roughly the weight of a broiler chicken ready for slaughter.
We suspect that Yu may have fallen from a truck during transport to slaughter, although we don’t know exactly what happened.
Broiler chickens have been selectively bred to grow extremely quickly, placing enormous strain on their bodies.
We don’t know how long Yu will live. But we wanted this little chicken to live as long, as healthily, and as happily as possible.
With that hope in our hearts, we named the chicken Yu (悠). The Japanese character “悠” evokes a sense of time flowing slowly and peacefully — exactly the kind of life we wish for Yu.
Today, Yu has settled in with the other chickens and is enjoying life at the sanctuary.
04｜The Reality Faced by Yu’s Fellow Chickens
In Japan, broiler chickens like Yu are typically sent to slaughter at just around 50 days old. Only 50 days of life. And even during that short time, many face serious welfare problems.
Rapid growth: Broilers have been selectively bred to grow extremely quickly, putting tremendous strain on their bodies.
Overcrowding: Japan has no legally binding numerical stocking-density limits for broiler chickens, and many are raised at high densities.
Slaughter without mandatory stunning: Japanese law does not require chickens to be stunned before slaughter, leaving them at risk of experiencing pain and distress while conscious.
What is life really like for these chickens during their first and only 50 days?
Please explore the story of Mei, a broiler chicken, at:
Mei’s 50 Days — The Life of a Broiler Chicken
05｜Let’s Create a Better Future Together with Yu
Thank you for getting to know Yu. While Yu was lucky enough to be rescued, countless other chickens never get that chance.
But there are things we can all do to help them.
☆Share Yu’s story with others.
☆Learn more about the lives of broiler chickens.
☆Support efforts to protect farmed animals.
Together, we can help create a kinder future for Yu’s fellow chickens.
06｜Follow Yu’s Journey
We hope you’ll join us in watching Yu grow and enjoy life at the sanctuary!
We’ll be sharing new photos, videos, and updates on Yu’s adventures.
Follow Yu on:
Thank you for being part of Yu’s journey! 🐔💕