JOHANNESBURG -- An animal protection group in South Africa says rioters attacked and burned a truck in which newly hatched chickens were being transported, killing 38,000 birds.
Police on Tuesday were monitoring the tense situation in the Lichtenburg area in North West province, where a police vehicle also was set on fire during protests against what residents say is a lack of basic municipal services.
The NSPCA, a national group, says the day-old chicks were killed Friday when protesters stole some of them from a truck, drove over others and set the vehicle on fire with many birds still inside.
The group describes the attack as "viciously cruel."