People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is calling on Jill Biden to stop using real chicken eggs at this year's White House Easter Egg Roll.
In a letter to the first lady on Monday, PETA asked her to make the annual event "eggstra special for chickens."
PETA President Ingrid Newkirk wrote that she wanted to "respectfully urge [Biden] not to allow the use of real chicken eggs for the White House Easter Egg Roll but to choose instead reusable plastic or wooden eggs, or even lovely painted rocks or egg-shaped balls, all of which would last for years to come."
Newkirk asked Biden to "take a crack at hen-friendly" event and "consider who animals are," adding that children "would be devastated to learn that eggs come from cruel farms."
"Chickens are smart, sensitive animals who feel pain and empathy; have distinct personalities; and, at just a few days old, can count and perform basic addition and subtraction, yet they are factory-farmed in hen prisons and the eggs they produce are stolen for humans to eat," she wrote.
Newkirk said the move would make the event "inclusive of all children who attend, including those who don't consume eggs for ethical, environmental, or health reasons." She also mentioned the rising price of eggs due to the deadliest avian flu outbreak on record, which has led to the deaths of nearly 53 million birds.
"Now is a hopping good time to hatch an Easter tradition that is kind and doesn't prop up the cruel egg industry," Newkirk wrote.
PETA pointed out that the White House itself sells a set of wooden Easter eggs that could easily be used for the event.
Biden has yet to respond to the letter.
The White House Easter Egg Roll has been a springtime tradition for more than 100 years. Held on the South Lawn of the White House, the event includes story time, games, live entertainment and the traditional Easter Egg Roll, where children roll dyed, hard-boiled eggs across the grass to see whose will go the furthest. Families apply through an online lottery to attend the event, which takes place this year on Monday, April 10.
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