Dear John,

Ever wonder what it takes to go undercover on behalf of the animals?

"Casey", an investigator with the LCA Sam Simon Special Investigations Unit, shares insight into working undercover for the animals.

Question: What made you decide to become an undercover investigator?

Answer: There was a time in my life that I was soul-searching and trying to understand who I really was and what I could do to change things for animals. I came across a video on social media about an undercover investigation at a chicken farm. It was instant. I knew right then - this was what I was going to do with my life. It took a lot of emails and phone calls to find someone who wanted to give me an opportunity. Then I found LCA...I haven’t looked back. 

Question: What are some of the worst experiences you’ve had while undercover?

Answer: It's hard to pin down just a few. They’re all hard, and with every investigation there’s what I call the “two-week acclimate”. The first two weeks everything comes at me - the emotional struggle of seeing the conditions the animals endure day in and day out. Then at the two-week mark, I’m in a routine, I know the job, I know what I have to do, and I have the anger at the situation that drives me to get the evidence I need to make a difference. 

Question: How do you cope with the stress and emotional toll this career brings to your life?

Answer: Sometimes I don’t. I have cried in my car all the way home from the job. Years later I still suffer from insomnia, nightmares, flashbacks. I can be out shopping and have to leave the store because something triggers a memory. It’s a small price to pay to see change. This is the life I choose every day I wake up. I can stop any time. Animals don’t have that option. 

Question: Have you ever thought about giving up investigating?

Answer: No. This is who I am. I love my job, and I know the differences we are capable of making by exposing the cruelty. 

Question: What keeps you going?

Answer: Knowing there is so much work to be done and so many animals that need to have their stories told. I’m not giving a voice to the voiceless. Animals have a voice, we just need to start listening, and we’re getting there. The movement to end animal cruelty is growing and people are listening, not everyone, but I still have hope.

Question: How do Ag-gag laws affect your work?

Answer:  If there was an Ag-gag law, Millbank Fur Farm, for example, never would have been exposed. The OSPCA charged them with 14 counts of animal cruelty, that’s how bad it was. That would not have been possible with Ag-gag.

Now with Ag-gag in two provinces in Canada and six States in the U.S., animals are going to suffer behind closed doors. Under the guise of protecting animals and the food system, farmers and politicians have created these laws to protect farmers. Trespassing laws already protected farmers, so these laws do nothing more than hide the truth about what goes on at factory farms, in slaughterhouses, and during live transport. We are still fighting a pandemic that was caused by a zoonotic disease. Hiding what goes on in the farming industry is the last thing our governments should be doing.

Question: Do you have any advice to someone thinking of becoming an undercover investigator?

Answer: Be prepared to have it change your life permanently. You can’t unsee the things you will subject yourself to. It will affect your mental health. Remember the end goal. You will have to “be one of them” to get the evidence you need to make a difference, and that will make or break you. Don’t let ANYONE tell you that you can’t make a difference. It may be a long road, but it’s so worth it. Finally, and most importantly, have a strong support system in place. You can’t do this without the love and support of people who understand why you do what you do. I am just lucky enough to have that support from LCA.

Question: Anything else you would like to add?

Answer: Take the time to look into the eyes of an animal and ask yourself what they can gain from us, rather than what we can gain from them.

For the animals,

The LCA Staff