Unity ...
Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.
Albert Schweitzer, French philosopher, physician, and musician (Nobel 1952)
Invasive surgery conducted on conscious greyhounds
Humane Research Australia (HRA)
UPDATE
From correspondence I received relative to this issue. I still believe it is imperative to express that NO animals should be used:
“I appreciate you checking with us before making up your mind. The research mentioned in the Humane Research association’s website was conducted prior to 2004, the University of Newcastle has not used dogs in research for more than 10 years.”
BACKGROUND | SOURCE HRA
In a recent study(1) conducted by researchers at the University of Newcastle, greyhounds underwent invasive and distressing surgery without general anaesthetic or any form of sedative.
This experiment was conducted in an attempt to further explore the body’s stabilising mechanisms for maintaining blood pressure in relation to bronchial circulation in the lungs (baroreflex).
The first part of the procedure involved the twelve greyhounds having pulsed Doppler blood flow transducers (a medical device for measuring blood flow) surgically implanted on the right bronchial artery.
In order to achieve this, the dogs were placed under general anaesthesia and a surgical incision was made into the chest wall. The exposure of major organs (heart and lung) and veins illustrates the invasive nature of even this initial part of the study. The transducer wires were passed from the chest cavity through the back of the dogs’ bodies.
A second skin incision was then made along the groove between the shoulder and neck, in order to pass catheters into the aorta, so as to measure aortic and central venous pressures. A second catheter was positioned in the right upper chamber of the heart.
The dogs then underwent a 10 day period of recovery and laboratory training. While the authors stated that antibiotics were given during the recovery period, there was no mention of additional pain relief being given at any point after the initial end of operation period. .
After the 10 day post-op period, the dogs underwent another procedure. This time the experiment involved the deliberate decision to abstain from administering any form of general anaesthetic or sedative. This means that the dogs were fully awake and aware of the surgery being conducted on them.
First, “the dogs were placed on their sides and catheters and probes connected to the recording system”. The dogs were (supposedly) “trained to lie unsedated on their side on a padded table with the dog’s attendant at the head”. Under only local anaesthetic, the right femoral artery (thigh) was exposed, and a balloon catheter, with attached balloons, passed into the lower part of the heart. The balloons were then inflated and deflated repeatedly in a sustained manner to s(t)imulate appropriate states of blood pressure / blood flow. The authors stated that “the dogs appeared unaware of the balloon inflation/deflation process during experiments”, despite the lack of sedation or general anaesthesia.
Furthermore, in six of the dogs, the same process was conducted after they were given particular chemicals in order to induce dilation of blood vessels, and therefore slow the heart rate and lower blood pressure.
In one dog, a catheter was passed through the jugular vein in the neck into the heart, and again the induced change in blood pressure was measured after being raised and lowered through the process of inflation and deflation of the aortic balloon catheter. This invasive part of the study was again conducted using only under local anaesthesia.
The authors stated that the absence of anaesthesia was justified as “it was inappropriate to use anaesthetics and sedatives which selectively block or enhance autonomic activity”.
The authors do not state whether the dogs were euthanised after completion of the study. In the interests of cost efficiency they might be used again, but as Australia does not have retirement facilities for these animals the only other option is to kill them.
The experiment was supported by a Project Grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC).
A number of very similar experiments had been conducted in the past, making the replication of the procedure in this study highly questionable. A previous study, undertaken by the same researchers, had its results invalidated by the fact that the dogs became stressed due to unfamiliar staff and inadequate assessment of animal welfare concerns(3).
The experimental process and care of the dogs was approved by the Animal Care and Ethics Committee of the University of Newcastle.
Read more HERE, including references.
WHOM TO CONTACT
Please write to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), asking them to stop funding animal experiments with your taxpayer dollars, and to instead fund research that is relevant to human health:
Prof. Warwick Anderson
Chief Executive Officer
NHMRC
GPO Box 1421
Canberra, ACT 2601
Email: nhmrc@nhmrc.gov.au
Lodge a complaint form at https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about/contact-us/complaint-form
And please write to the following to express your disappointment at such useless research:
Kim Hughes
Animal Ethics Officer
The University of Newcastle
Email: kim.hughes@newcastle.edu.au
SAMPLE LETTER
To Whom It Concerns,
In a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Newcastle, greyhounds underwent invasive and distressing surgery without general anaesthetic or any form of sedative (HRA). Allow me this opportunity to express my extreme opposition.
Of all the inherently cruel conditions humans inflict on animals, nothing is more destructive and immoral than vivisection, unparalleled in both its cruel intent and apathetic nature. To subject animals to unnatural medical conditions and practices for the purpose of theorizing potential human treatments is not only scientifically illegitimate but it is also fundamentally inhumane. As a means of fostering social validation, vivisectors consistently promote the idea that animals are responsible for producing lifesaving equipment and treatments and that those who are against vivisection are opposed to medical advancements. That illogic would be laughable if millions of animals were not tortured to support such. Indeed, to grant animals the power to cure and prevent disease while experimenting on those same animals is a contradiction in both practice and thought.
From a pragmatic standpoint, if we could adequately determine the effects of drugs and conditions using animals in general, then human trials would be completely unnecessary. Therefore, if we acknowledge that data from animal testing cannot be extrapolated to humans, as demonstrated by the need for human testing trials prior to a general administration of research, then why are animals used at all? If animals cannot be used to predict a human outcome in general, then how can they be used to predict safety? It’s a ridiculous premise, nothing but pathetic attempts to rationalize a morally deficient industry where you capitalize on the fear of people and exploitation of animals.
Allow me but another moment to correct your disclaimers that animals are treated well, absent suffering and pain. Tens of thousands of animals are deliberately denied pain relief while in obvious states of agony, including the greyhounds maliciously denied pain relief during open surgery; the theory of this practice being that introducing pain relief would compromise testing results. Despite claims that the dogs were attended to similar to humans, it is impossible to predict how an animal will respond to treatments based on human experience other than to admit that pain is apparent. As such, how can you honestly submit that introducing diseases to animals, subjecting them to pain, suffering, and agony, denying them companionship and comfort, and imprisoning them for life as done from a position of caring? Your claims are nothing but disingenuous rhetoric meant to deceive unknowing people: if you honestly cared about the well-being of animals, you would adamantly oppose vivisection.
Animal experimentation is unnecessary, unjustified, and unprincipled, its only function to financially benefit those who exploit animals. Animals have rights to live free from pain and suffering regardless of your objections to acknowledge such, and as long as you profit on the torture of animals, complicit in their abuse and death, I will continue campaigning on their behalf. As such, please discontinue funding ALL animal experiments with my taxpayer dollars, and to instead fund research that is relevant to human health and absent vivisection.
Thank you for taking the time to read this urgent appeal.
Read more…
I am an artist who has been building a book of my “Awareness” Paintings the past 6 years. I feel very deeply about the information that I have compiled regarding the ocean and the voice of the animals in each chapter of the book. I created this book to further share their voice I visually painted to allow more individuals to hear the ocean voice and make well informed choices in their lives. These choices can create a better life for the animals, their community, and the earth.
I am an advocate for improving the educational system to allow us as individuals to evolve with the changes that are occurring around the world. Today is the time for “PROTECTION” of what is still alive on this planet.
“EDUCATE to ACTIVATE” is the objective, so why not donate books to the school system and public libraries. If they are on the shelves then they can be shared immensely!
There are at least 60 art photos shared in the book including the individual paintings that have a strong story to expose in each chapter. The chapters speak about an animal and their background, then how this story was painted as a visual voice, finishing with the positive impacts that have happened the past 6 years that have impacted this species life.
This book not only educates with awareness of what is happening in the ocean and its inhabitants, but it also INSPIRES people that change does occur with perseverance when you can look back over a set amount of time.
Sharing this campaign via the Facebook, Twitter, Email links helps this campaign get noticed on Indiegogo and can push it further into the eye of more compassionate and inspire more individuals!
Schools are teaching the children so let’s help give them more tools, the world depends on them to “PROTECT”. I want this book to be in every school around the world!
From the Book:
To paint the stories of the ocean is to research these very issues, and in turn, be affected by them. Bob began questioning his diet of fish, chicken, eggs and milk. He felt hypocritical – on one hand, painting the stories of suffering animals and then, without introspection, eating them.
Since 2008, after completing his second awareness painting on the killings of whales, he chose to become vegetarian. And, about six months later, he became a vegan, learning how to remove all animal products, clothing, and entertainment from his life.
“My art brought me to a vegan lifestyle,” Bob acknowledges, giving due credit to his artwork for developing a more respectful relationship with all living things. “On a daily basis I learned more about the darkness, and what it took to bring in light via one’s actions,” Bob continues.
And in these moments, he came to view activists as informed individuals fighting for positive change; in turn, helping others to make informed decisions and break away from the chains of ignorance.
Changes came quickly as Bob started to dedicate his time to direct and positive action. In the summer of 2008 he became Director of International Campaigns at the Animal Rights Kollective (ARK II). Although he didn’t feel qualified, ARK II Directors believed in his dedication and supported him in ways he didn’t even think possible. For over 25 years, ARK II had been in Toronto and alongside his fellow activists, Bob began to lead marches, engage in public speaking, organize fundraisers and act as a media spokesperson.
During the same year, Bob met the founder of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society at TIFF – Toronto International Film Festival.
In 2009, destiny and willpower walked hand-in-hand, with Bob attending one of Rob Stewart’s fundraisers. Rob was the director of Sharkwater – the movie that changed Bob’s life.
Towards the end of the year, Bob helped organize a large fundraiser for Sea Shepherd, meeting Paul Watson for the second time.
By 2010 he left ARK II and became an independent activist for a few months. Shortly after, he was asked to be a Board Member for Oceanic Defense from California. Although short-lived, Bob moved on to found his own organization – “Ocean Activists United – International Grassroots Action” (OAU). His mandate: That every action is global action and must be given proper focus in order that positive change be made …
ENDORSEMENTS
“My sister and I are big Sea Shepherd supporters, and Bob Timmons has created a great reflection of SSCS in this book with their campaigns that contain interesting and factual, detailed, information, with his incredible hands-on research of positive actions for the ocean. My sis and I give our “green tea party” thumbs up for this book!”
~Shane and Sia Barbi, The Barbi Twins
“The effects of climate change, deforestation, species extinction and deoxygenation of the world’s ocean, to name a few 21st century threats, are not insular. What affects one species inevitably alters the path of another. We are all connected in this biosphere and all live on one planet. With marine animals assaulted, as they have never been before, with an end result – mass species decimation – the time is NOW to wake up and acknowledge that our fate is inexorably linked to those creatures that lack a voice on the world’s stage. Bob Timmons has recreated these threats in the form of visual art, a language understood via the world, and in a way that communicates this harm humans have done. With raw and often emotional text, this is a must-read for anyone who is passionate about survival, not just of the fittest, but also of the web of life, as a whole.”
~Cara Sands, Friends of the Dolphins
FROM THE AGE OF PROTECTION CHAPTER 3
Ocean Artist Bob Timmons
A seal pup at the minimum age requirement to be slaughtered, according to Canadian Law, is three weeks old. These babies, alone and defenseless while awaiting the return of their mothers from the deep depths of the icy-filled ocean, suddenly experience a loud bang. The pup feels a blasting hot piercing in the side and starts to move and cry for her mother. She struggles to escape the excruciating pain that has attacked her side when another loud bang occurs, and the baby seal pup feels a very hot poker-like feeling that practically immobilizes her. A fisherman has shot her from his ship. The pup still tries to escape to the water where she has last seen her mother disappear into a hole when she next hears the unfamiliar sound of footsteps crunching the icy snow… getting louder, closer, and louder still. The pup is terrified, crying loudly, screeching with pain and desperately wanting her mother to protect her from this unknown disturbance in the infancy of her new life. The footsteps get louder and are practically upon her as an object is pounded on her head and her body starts to shake and convulse, all the while the moans of pain and cries for her mother are heard throughout the once-quiet and no longer safe atmosphere of her home.
Then the object is pounded through her face; her intense fear is only matched by her agonizing pain: she has been hooked through her tender skin and is being dragged by the face toward the fisherman’s ship. The fisherman, who is hurrying to slaughter as many seal pups as time allows, decides to quickly finish his repertoire of death: the seal, still moaning and shaking, desperately crying out for her mother, terrified and dying, feels more slices and cuts into her body as she lays in shock, conscious, while her skin is torn off in sheets. The fisherman finishes his work and leaves the seal pup’s body on the ice as he quickly returns to his ship and leaves. The pup, excruciating pain and coursing spasms wracking her still conscious body, slowly dies, her flesh bare steaming with heat while exposed to the harsh cold of the eastern Canadian weather…
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this campaign is to get this book into schools and libraries for FREE! I will donate a paperback book, while quantities last, to schools of all levels and public libraries globally. The more books we can make, the better the outreach will be for this campaign.
On completion of this campaign we hope to have enough funds raised to buy soft paper back books. From there we will take:
50% will be distributed to schools/libraries around the world
The remaining 50% of the books will be sold having 25% of the profits going to a charity like “Sea Shepherd”, “The Dolphin Project”, “Refuge RR for Horses”, on a quarterly basis.
Below are the quotes I have received from a local Toronto Book Binding Business:
$1365 for 50 copies,
$2388 for 100 copies,
$3408 for 150 copies
ETC ETC ETC ETC
plus applicable taxes
I set my goal for $4000 due to this fundraising platform and will take 9% if I do not reach my goal and paypal and bank fees will take an additional 3% from the goal. Their will be taxes on the book, too, when I put in the order. So let’s make this happen for the children to have the knowledge for change “Educate to Activate”!
The more money raised means more books and more information shared in the schools and libraries. Leaving even more money to go to charities as well from the remaining 75% of paper back books.
PERKS
Ways to support this campaign are to first choose one of the perks!
$25 – First perk is a “PRE-ORDER” of the EBook that is being launched on WORLD OCEAN DAY – JUNE 8th, 2013!
$50 – Second perk is for the Ebook ONE WEEK EARLY before its RELEASE!
$100 – Third Perk is for anyone that feels this is a great opportunity to get Ocean Awareness into the schools and libraries and will receive an EARLY EBOOK Copy along with Six 8.5″x11″ of all of the Chapters showcased Art Pieces!
$150 – Adding a personal gift of a signed paperback book of the project with an early release of the Ebook. The paperback delivery will take some time to be delivered. This includes delivery as well.
-
$250 – Fourth Perk this Warrior will receive a Signed Paperback of the book and an Early Release of the Ebook ONE WEEK Before the OFFICIAL BOOK LAUNCH on WORLD OCEAN DAY – June 8th PLUS an EARTH WARRIOR Signed Certificate PLUS an 8.5″x11″ print of EACH Art Piece of the 6 Chapters making that 6 signed prints in Total.
Last but Not LEAST! Anyone can SHARE this campaign by using the above Indiegogo links for “Twitter“, “Facebook“, and “Email” so this campaign can receive the “INDIEGOGO GOGOFACTOR!!”
Read more…
Wikimedia Commons
1. Please click HERE to help protect wild horses and burros
2. Please click HERE to speak out about maltreatment at UCSF
3. Please click HERE to urge USDA to pull license of cruel roadside zoo
4. Please click HERE to help stop bullfighting
5. Please click HERE to end elephant tourism in Thailand
6. Please sign HERE to make donkey roping illegal
1. Background | IDA
The Senate recently confirmed Sally Jewell as the next Secretary of the Interior. This could be a positive change from her predecessor, Ken Salazar, who failed to deliver on his promise to reform the federal wild horse and burro program. Salazar, a rancher, defended other ranchers to the detriment of wild horses and burros.
During Salazar’s tenure, the Bureau of Land Management removed more than 35,000 wild horses from public lands. Jewell is known as an outdoor enthusiast and conservationist and IDA is hopeful that her appointment will be good news for wild horses and burros, but she needs to hear how important this issue is to you.
Jewell has already pledged to “pursue effective and ecologically sustainable policies” for management of America’s wild horses and burros. Please take a moment to urge her to keep that promise!
2. Background | IDA
The University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) has a long-standing and shameful record of animal neglect and mistreatment at its animal labs. Despite the $92,500 they were fined in 2005 by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to settle violations of the Animal Welfare Act, more than 100 additional violations of federal animal welfare laws and guidelines have recently been exposed.
These involved the agonizing fate of a female monkey who, apart from her multiple invasive brain surgeries in a Parkinson’s study, suffered further extreme distress due to painful complications from a piece of plastic acrylic left in her head for two years. Another monkey was subjected to multiple invasive brain surgeries and was deliberately deprived of food so that he would perform tasks while locked in a restraint chair. He lost 25 percent of his body weight. In another horrific incident, experimenters placed live newborn mice inside a freezer meant for dead animals.
UCSF’s animal abuse must not go ignored and they must be held accountable.
3. Background | PETA
Following a lawsuit brought by two local citizens—with the support of PETA and the Animal Legal Defense Fund—Jambbas Ranch, a squalid roadside zoo in North Carolina, has been found to be in violation of state cruelty-to-animals laws. The court found that Jambbas’ treatment of Ben, a bear Jambbas kept confined to a tiny, barren pen made of concrete and chain-link fencing, caused him to suffer in violation of North Carolina law. The court also noted that Jambbas even failed to meet Ben’s most basic veterinary, dietary, and environmental needs.
Fortunately, Ben has been given a chance at a new life at the Performing Animal Welfare Society sanctuary in California, where he is thriving in a vast natural habitat—one that is measured in acres, not feet and inches. He can now splash in his very own pool, rub his back on trees, and sleep soundly in a large straw nest or under oak trees.
But hundreds of animals are still languishing at Jambbas. In fact, inspectors routinely find animals in dire need of veterinary care at Jambbas—and sometimes even dead animals. And despite the cruel conditions that caused Ben to suffer in violation of state law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues to renew Jambbas’ Animal Welfare Act (AWA) license year after year. Enough is enough. The USDA must take action. Now that Jambbas has been found to be in violation of cruelty laws, the USDA has no excuse. The AWA gives the agency clear authority to revoke a license when there are violations of cruelty laws, and it must act on that authority immediately.
Please take a moment now to join PETA in politely urging USDA officials to revoke Jambbas’ license immediately, before even more animals suffer.
4. Background | PETA
Bullfighting is shameful, violent animal abuse dressed up as “sport.” Yet, despite growing condemnation of this cruel tradition, the Spanish government is currently considering whether or not to recommend that bullfighting be protected as a national cultural pastime.
Such a move would be a huge step backward and could provide the legal basis for overruling existing bans on bullfighting in Catalonia and the Canary Islands. Bullfighting has been on the decline for years, with attendance decreasing and bullrings closing across the country as more and more people put animal welfare first. Seventy-six percent of Spaniards say that they have no interest in this barbaric ritual, and the industry survives only because of huge subsidies.
Spain is a country rich in history, architecture, cinema, art, and culture. We need to let authorities know that protecting bullfighting will damage Spain’s reputation and can only have a negative impact on the tourism industry, which is so important to the country’s economy.
Please write to Spain’s ambassador to the U.S. and ask him to oppose protection for bullfighting. The government’s decision is imminent, so take action today!
5. Background | Force Change
Target: Thai Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
Goal: Protect the endangered Asian elephant by prohibiting the illegal smuggling of Burmese elephants into Thailand.
A recent film by the Ecologist Film Unit exposing the violent and illegal trade of endangered Asian elephants from Burma to Thailand raises the need to act now to save these animals from a life in brutal captivity and likely death. After viewing the film here please sign the petition below asking the Thai government to enforce the law on illegal elephant smuggling. At least 100 elephants, mostly calves, are taken from Burmese forests and traded illegally to supply Thai elephant tourist camps. The journey for the calves and their families is horrific. For every calf taken, approximately five elephants in its family group are shot. The calves then undergo a ritual known as the phajaan, where the calves are tied up, starved, and beaten until a fear of humans is deeply ingrained in them. It is estimated that only one in three elephants survives this torture. Those that do, are than smuggled into Thailand.
The elephants that reach Thailand are subjected to living in captivity, often having their pictures taken with tourists none the wiser to what they have endured. The Thai tourism industry is doing very well and fueling the demand for elephants. A baby elephant can fetch anywhere from $21,000 to $31,000. When traveling toThailand, it is not advised to boycott the camps, as this would lessen the monies available to care for the elephants, but to report suspicious operations. Action needs to be taken at the government level for true change to occur.
Traditionally, attention has been given to the African elephant sought after for its ivory tusks. However, the Asian elephant population is in critical danger. Already listed as endangered, it is estimated that there are 25,000 to 35,000 left in the wild, far fewer than those in Africa. Burma’s population is second only to India with approximately 5,000 elephants. If trade continues as it is, the population could be decimated within ten years.
By signing this petition you are urging the Thai government to tighten and enforce laws against illegal smuggling of elephants into Thailand.
6. Background | Change
Donkey roping is torture. Not only does it inflict serious damage to donkeys physically, but also causes mental trauma. Physical damage includes rope burns to the legs and neck, crushed tracheae, broken legs, and death. Donkeys often become difficult to handle and extremely fearful of people after being roped. This terrible practice needs to be stopped in Texas. The only way to do that is to show the support of the people to stop it!
Read more…
Backyard Butchering: Loving Animals to Death
Wikimedia Commons
Source Exposing the Big Game
By Jim Robertson
Yesterday I received the following comment to my post, All Meat is the Product of Cruelty and Exploitation… “How can you argue with those whose response is: ‘In the natural world animals kill other animals for food and in a most painful and cruel way and if I choose to raise my animals on my own property allowing them to live in a free and natural manner just as they would live in the wild that only differs in that they have shelter from the elements should they choose to use it and they are not kept in pens or tied but in large open barns and that at some point they will be killed as quickly and humanely as possible to be eaten by my family and the excess sold to others. I love animals but choose to eat them as well. I believe that how I treat them and kill them is better than they would live in the wild and their deaths much less horrible than being ripped apart alive as is the case in the wild’. What can you say to that?”
…to which I replied: First of all, it sounds like someone has been watching too many “nature” programs that revel in prolonged scenes of wildlife predation. Most cases of natural predation happen much faster; in many cases the prey are killed instantly.
In my book, Exposing the Big Game, I wrote about a wolf kill I witnessed in Yellowstone: “Suddenly they tore out after a young mule deer who had risked leaving the cover of the forest for the lure of an open meadow. The inexperienced doe didn’t stand a chance against the incredible, greyhound-like speed of the determined wolves. One quickly caught her by the hind leg, bringing her down, and a split second later the other had her by the throat. In less than a heartbeat, a living, breathing deer was reduced to a lifeless carcass.” Not a pretty sight, but much more the norm than the horrible scenarios depicted for entertainment on cable T.V. shows.
The hypothetical argument you spelled out (above) begins by raising the naturalist fallacy, which I covered in the post, Top Ten Retorts to Hunters’ Fallacies (just substitute hunter for animal farmer/rancher):
# 9) Animals kill other animals, so we can too.
That’s an example of what’s known as the naturalistic fallacy—the notion that any behavior that can be found in nature is morally justifiable. But wolves and other natural predators need to hunt to survive, humans don’t—for them it’s nothing more than a thrill kill. Human beings have moved beyond countless other behaviors such as cannibalism or infanticide, so why can’t some people tear themselves away from hunting?
A quote from author Robert Franklin Leslie adds to this:
“It is not important that a hawk takes a robin, that a bear robs a grouse nest. That is Nature’s own salient way even if we don’t understand it…Wilderness life has gone on that way since the beginning, and the prey has withstood the predation. But when man steps in…the very soul of Nature cringes for having endowed one of her creatures with intelligence disproportionate to responsibility.”
Backyard animal farming is nothing but the revival of Old World animal husbandry, from which modern-day factory farming is an unfortunate upshot. Both the factory farmer and the backyard butcher breed animals for the sole purpose of killing them when the time is ripe. They don’t raise the animals just because they love them and want to give them a good life, and raising them does nothing to eliminate any suffering that might go on in the wild between natural predator and prey (unless a person’s intent is to eliminate all natural relationships between wild animals, and there would be a lot of suffering on the predator’s part as the human strives to eliminate them).
Killing farmed animals “quickly and humanely” is easier said than done. At some point the animal knows that the human they trusted intends to hurt or kill them, as they probably would have seen it happen to one or more of their herd-mates. And the act of ending a healthy animal’s life so you can eat their flesh is cruel no matter how you slice it, especially since people do not have to eat meat to live a long, healthy life. And in fact, a lifetime of meat-eating is unhealthy for the human primate. Also from the Top Ten list mentioned above:
8) Humans are carnivores, look at our canine teeth.
Human teeth are designed primarily for chewing plant-based foods, like our primate cousins do. Humans “fangs” are teensy compared to those of gorillas, who are strict vegetarians and only show them to appear fierce. Also, our intestinal tract is long to allow for the slow digestion of high-fiber foods, while true carnivores have short intestines as needed to process meat and dispose of the resulting toxic wastes quickly.
7) Wild game (or free-range) meat is health food.
All animal flesh is rife with cholesterol throughout, and the protein in animal flesh is acidic, causing bone calcium losses as it is metabolized. According to the American Dietetic Association, a diet high in animal products has been linked to obesity, diabetes, colon and other cancers, osteoporosis, kidney stones, gallstones, diverticular disease, hypertension and coronary artery disease. New studies have found that another culprit in causing heart disease may be a little-studied chemical that is burped out by bacteria in the intestines after people eat meat.
Again, wolves and other predators need to eat meat to survive—modern humans do not. Natural predators don’t hate their prey, but they don’t pretend to love them either.
Forget the 4-H Club—you can’t really claim to “love” an animal you plan to someday kill, butcher and consume.
Backyard Butchering: Loving Animals to Death
Wikimedia Commons
Source Exposing the Big Game
By Jim Robertson
Yesterday I received the following comment to my post, All Meat is the Product of Cruelty and Exploitation… “How can you argue with those whose response is: ‘In the natural world animals kill other animals for food and in a most painful and cruel way and if I choose to raise my animals on my own property allowing them to live in a free and natural manner just as they would live in the wild that only differs in that they have shelter from the elements should they choose to use it and they are not kept in pens or tied but in large open barns and that at some point they will be killed as quickly and humanely as possible to be eaten by my family and the excess sold to others. I love animals but choose to eat them as well. I believe that how I treat them and kill them is better than they would live in the wild and their deaths much less horrible than being ripped apart alive as is the case in the wild’. What can you say to that?”
…to which I replied: First of all, it sounds like someone has been watching too many “nature” programs that revel in prolonged scenes of wildlife predation. Most cases of natural predation happen much faster; in many cases the prey are killed instantly.
In my book, Exposing the Big Game, I wrote about a wolf kill I witnessed in Yellowstone: “Suddenly they tore out after a young mule deer who had risked leaving the cover of the forest for the lure of an open meadow. The inexperienced doe didn’t stand a chance against the incredible, greyhound-like speed of the determined wolves. One quickly caught her by the hind leg, bringing her down, and a split second later the other had her by the throat. In less than a heartbeat, a living, breathing deer was reduced to a lifeless carcass.” Not a pretty sight, but much more the norm than the horrible scenarios depicted for entertainment on cable T.V. shows.
The hypothetical argument you spelled out (above) begins by raising the naturalist fallacy, which I covered in the post, Top Ten Retorts to Hunters’ Fallacies (just substitute hunter for animal farmer/rancher):
# 9) Animals kill other animals, so we can too.
That’s an example of what’s known as the naturalistic fallacy—the notion that any behavior that can be found in nature is morally justifiable. But wolves and other natural predators need to hunt to survive, humans don’t—for them it’s nothing more than a thrill kill. Human beings have moved beyond countless other behaviors such as cannibalism or infanticide, so why can’t some people tear themselves away from hunting?
A quote from author Robert Franklin Leslie adds to this:
“It is not important that a hawk takes a robin, that a bear robs a grouse nest. That is Nature’s own salient way even if we don’t understand it…Wilderness life has gone on that way since the beginning, and the prey has withstood the predation. But when man steps in…the very soul of Nature cringes for having endowed one of her creatures with intelligence disproportionate to responsibility.”
Backyard animal farming is nothing but the revival of Old World animal husbandry, from which modern-day factory farming is an unfortunate upshot. Both the factory farmer and the backyard butcher breed animals for the sole purpose of killing them when the time is ripe. They don’t raise the animals just because they love them and want to give them a good life, and raising them does nothing to eliminate any suffering that might go on in the wild between natural predator and prey (unless a person’s intent is to eliminate all natural relationships between wild animals, and there would be a lot of suffering on the predator’s part as the human strives to eliminate them).
Killing farmed animals “quickly and humanely” is easier said than done. At some point the animal knows that the human they trusted intends to hurt or kill them, as they probably would have seen it happen to one or more of their herd-mates. And the act of ending a healthy animal’s life so you can eat their flesh is cruel no matter how you slice it, especially since people do not have to eat meat to live a long, healthy life. And in fact, a lifetime of meat-eating is unhealthy for the human primate. Also from the Top Ten list mentioned above:
8) Humans are carnivores, look at our canine teeth.
Human teeth are designed primarily for chewing plant-based foods, like our primate cousins do. Humans “fangs” are teensy compared to those of gorillas, who are strict vegetarians and only show them to appear fierce. Also, our intestinal tract is long to allow for the slow digestion of high-fiber foods, while true carnivores have short intestines as needed to process meat and dispose of the resulting toxic wastes quickly.
7) Wild game (or free-range) meat is health food.
All animal flesh is rife with cholesterol throughout, and the protein in animal flesh is acidic, causing bone calcium losses as it is metabolized. According to the American Dietetic Association, a diet high in animal products has been linked to obesity, diabetes, colon and other cancers, osteoporosis, kidney stones, gallstones, diverticular disease, hypertension and coronary artery disease. New studies have found that another culprit in causing heart disease may be a little-studied chemical that is burped out by bacteria in the intestines after people eat meat.
Again, wolves and other predators need to eat meat to survive—modern humans do not. Natural predators don’t hate their prey, but they don’t pretend to love them either.
Forget the 4-H Club—you can’t really claim to “love” an animal you plan to someday kill, butcher and consume.
Horrific
Veganism Is The Future & Green Unity For Nature And Animal Liberation
Chickens burned alive in China because of the bird flu ”outburst”… Absolutely outrageous! Please, do something!
These horrors happen because of greedy humans breeding and using these animals for ”profit” and because of those who buy animal products. If everyone ate an animal-products-free diet, and didn’t use animals for any other purpose, none of these horrors would happen. Signing petitions can sometimes make a difference, yes. But if you really want this to stop, you must change your eating habits and your way of living — you must stop using animals for any purpose — and also help us raise awareness. Please, go vegan!
PETA
BACKGROUND
Pigs are social, intelligent, loyal, and highly sensitive animals who enjoy communicating with each other, making nests, and relaxing in the sun. But on Saturday, June 8, the village of German Valley, Illinois, has scheduled a “Pig Scramble” event to take place during its German Valley Days festival. Such events typically involve frantic groups of people chasing, grabbing at, and tackling terrified pigs confined to pens lined with screaming crowds. Being trucked to and fro and subjected to the violence and general chaos of these events is a horrific and hazardous ordeal for the pigs, who often sustain severe injuries such as broken limbs and backs. PETA has asked organizers to replace this cruel activity with any number of humane alternatives, but to no avail. We need your help today!
Please politely urge the festival’s organizers to cancel this cruel event. And please, spread this alert far and wide!
WHOM TO CONTACT
Send polite comments to:
Mark Jewell
President of German Valley
815-362-5671
marcus@jewellzone.com
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear President Jewell,
Pigs are social, intelligent, loyal, and highly sensitive animals who enjoy communicating with each other, making nests, and relaxing in the sun. But on Saturday, June 8, the village of German Valley, Illinois, has scheduled a “Pig Scramble” event to take place during its German Valley Days festival. Such events typically involve frantic groups of people chasing, grabbing at, and tackling terrified pigs confined to pens lined with screaming crowds. Being trucked to and fro and subjected to the violence and general chaos of these events is a horrific and hazardous ordeal for the pigs, who often sustain severe injuries such as broken limbs and backs.
I am disturbed to learn of this and am therefore respectfully urging you cancel this unjustified and cruel event. Pigs are marvelously intelligent and sentient creatures, capable of love, pain, thought, and suffering; when you subject pigs to such indecent treatments, you not only condemn them to fear and agony, but you also demean yourself and establish that you are unsympathetic.
Furthermore, when you actively engage in this type of cheap entertainment in front of children, and, in fact, have children actually potentially participating in such, you are demonstrating that animal abuse and disrespect are socially-approved activities, and the link between animal and human abuse is represented. I therefore urge you to cease this exploitation and demonstrate that yours is a community that recognizes the importance of animal protection rather than animal abuse.
Thank you for taking the time to read this urgent appeal.
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