Animal Emotions
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Willful Slow Food Ignorance and the Pain Animals Feel
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Love Is Not Only for Human Animals (and Circuses Aren't Sanctuaries)
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Herbie the Rescued Calf Has a Ball
When Sweet Is Sad and Adorable Is Ironic
Published September 06, 2009 @ 07:44AM PT
At the Sustainable Food blog last week, substitute blogger Mike posted a photo that instantly made me sad. I assume, of course, that it was intended to be--and that most see it as--adorable. And there are photos out there of cute, chubby-cheeked kids and sweet-faced, beautiful cows that would bring out my "aww" reflex. But this isn't one of them.
"You Don't Know What You're Talking About; You've Never Worked on a Farm"
Published September 04, 2009 @ 06:38AM PT
Photo, taken at Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary, by Deb Durant of Invisible Voices
In a recent comment thread here at Change.org, site member and animal advocate Gary Loewenthal responded to a version of the sentiment expressed in the title of this post, some varieties of which argue that animal advocates are all urbanites with not a clue about rural farming culture or that animal advocates really know nothing about farmed animals in general or that they have no concept of what really goes on in animal ag. With permission, I share Gary's thoughtful response to some aspects of this argument below.
But before I do, I will also say (as I have before, I know) that this kind of dismissal from proponents and defenders of animal ag also ignores that some of the animal rights movement's most compelling and passionate advocates are and have been former farmers (small- and large-scale alike), former hunters, former slaughterhouse workers; many others of us are originally from farming communities or families. The undercover investigators who see, time and time again, what "really" happens on farms would also disagree that they don't know what they're talking about. And then, finally, there are these excellent points from Gary (who is too humble about his knowledge of animal issues; I am consistently impressed by his knowledge and ability to articulate it thoughtfully):
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Many animal advocates, such as me, volunteer at farmed animal sanctuaries. At those wonderful places (which I recommend everyone visit), I submit that we are able to see animals in ways that farmers virtually never experience.
A) We never look at the animals in terms of what they can produce, or as disposable business assets. I think that way of looking at individuals blocks your ability to truly appreciate their uniqueness, their moods, and their nuances. We see the sanctuary animals as unique individuals, sometimes as friends, and to varying degrees we sense and share in their joy and sadness.
And a Precious Few Find Sanctuary, Joy, Friendship, and Love
Published August 25, 2009 @ 03:27PM PT
Photo of Hannah the goat by Deb Durant of Invisible Voices
I need some good news. I can't bring myself to write about any of the less-than-pleasant things rumbling around in my head. So I'm not going to. Instead, I'm going to ask you to read two stories elsewhere (or actually, multiple stories, but at two different blogs). I'm going to ask you to celebrate with me a few of the oh-so-rare victories--lives saved, second chances given, our fellow animals provided a chance to experience joy, peace, love, and friendship, after pain and suffering they did nothing to deserve, just as they didn't deserve the slaughter for which they were slated, the same suffering and slaughter that the millions who were slaughtered today didn't deserve either.
First, a story about Patty and Susie from "A Lesson on Friendship" from Animal Place Sanctuary (I included this in the last roundup, but I want to make sure you read it):
Chuckles and Arabelle: Who They Are, Not How They "Taste"
Published August 03, 2009 @ 07:15AM PT
Chuckles came to Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary in 2001; he was around 1 year old, and had been found wandering the streets in Northeast DC.
When Arabelle arrived at Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary last summer, she was a tiny baby, small enough that it took a few days before Terry and Dave were certain that she was a guinea hen, rather than a turkey. Yet the guineas weren't interested in hanging out with her, and so it was a gentle turkey named Gertrude who took her under her wing and raised Arabelle.
Though in those early days she seemed to move and act like her surrogate mother, and we wondered if she thought of herself as a turkey, Arabelle now spends all of her time with one of the other guineas, Chuckles. They roam their part of the sanctuary, always together.
For Vegetarians and Meat-Eaters: The "Calm" Nature of Slaughter
Published June 30, 2009 @ 06:21AM PT
All who insist that killing animals isn't the horrible practice animal advocates know it to be, who insist that the animals remain calm, are unaware of what's about to happen, and go contentedly, obliviously to their deaths need to watch this video that's been circulating in recent days.
It is not graphic--that is, we do not see the animals being shot in the head or their throats slit open or their bodies hung up by one leg. No, what we see (and hear) is perhaps even more devastating. We see an animal alone, trapped, terrified, and looking desperately for an escape from what awaits at the end of the chute. There is no narration. No background music to evoke emotion. Just what really happened, just an honest, unedited look at some of the final moments of one of our fellow thinking, feeling animals who wanted to live.
Once again, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike should pay equal attention. The cows and calves killed for dairy die just as, and have the same heartbreaking fearful experiences as, the animals killed for meat, and they want to live as much as the animals killed for their flesh want to live. Watch through to the end.
A Film That Will Change Hearts and Save Lives--And How You Can Help
Published June 28, 2009 @ 06:12AM PT
Those of us who were moved by the first version of Peaceable Kingdom--including so many of us whose lives were forever and dramatically changed by Peaceable Kingdom--have been anxiously awaiting the new, improved, even more powerful second version. Filmmakers James LaVeck and Jenny Stein have been laboring for years over the project, and much to the excitement of a lot of people, the film is finally finished.
If you're signed up for the Tribe of Heart newsletter and for updates on the film, you know this already, but if not, here are the details (with a preview of the film at the end of the post):
The Love of Louie and Libby
Published June 22, 2009 @ 08:08AM PT
I am not going to suggest that you read this story. I am not going to ask that you read this story. I am going to beg you, plead with you, to read this story shared by Joanna of Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary.
Particularly if you are someone who doubts the depths of emotions animals feel, who doubts the way they love one another and build specific, chosen relationships as we do, who is unsure of how unique each individual is and how deep the bonds between them go, who thinks that they are distinctly different from us--please read this.
We could change little bits in this story, and it would read just like the story of a devoted elderly human couple, a pair of soulmates connected in ways only they can fully understand, in ways that make their lives worth living. It is a story we can all relate to--about love and about the things we do, the sacrifices we make, the care we provide, and the lengths we go to for the ones we love and wish to protect.
But Libby and Louie are not humans. They are chickens. And their story is nothing short of remarkable. It will swell your heart and bring tears to your eyes. It will change the way you think about chickens. It will change the way you think about "chicken"--and eggs, given how hens suffer and die for them, given how Libbie herself suffered so much for them. I hope it will change the way that you eat.
A preview, if you feel you need one:
