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Posts tagged ‘animal rights’

Apr 17

A sad and frightened pig on the way to slaughter
12 Comments

Toronto Pig Vigil

A sad and frightened pig on the way to slaughter

A sad and frightened pig on the way to slaughter. Image courtesy of Toronto Pig Save website.

One day this month, I’ll be holding vigil outside a pig slaughterhouse. I first learned of these community organized events by reading a thoughtfully composed Facts & Arguments article in The Globe and Mail.

The purpose of these vigils is to demonstrate one moment of human empathy and compassion to transport trucks full of pigs before they are killed for food. Many of these animals have been forced to live their entire lives in dark, cramped, dirty cell blocks, cruelly abused and neglected. Many of them die from stress on their way to slaughter.

This is how the majority of our meat is treated when they are alive.

The reason I am participating is because I want to increase the level of commitment to the suffering of animals, while documenting the experience to help raise awareness about their treatment.

There is more information about these vigils at Toronto Pig Save, where you can also learn how to participate and bear witness to the hardships of pigs, cows, chickens and other animals in transport and at slaughterhouses in Toronto and the GTA.

Their hope is to change enough people’s perspective to one day close all the slaughterhouses in Canada and help create a just and peaceful planet for every living creature. You can also visit their Facebook page.

This video below depicts, dehydrated, injured pigs waiting in a transport truck in the hot sun at 4 pm on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at Toronto’s Quality Meat Packers.

How can we continue to let this happen? What has happened to human compassion, and love? Is it more important to eat meat, than to show these animals the respect of life for which they are deserved?

Will you join me and help?

Feb 14

If a slaughter house had glass walls, we would not be having this debate

This speech is beyond moving. Please watch it, and let me know what you think. We must end animal cruelty. Thanks Lisa for sending.

Dec 7

2 Comments

Genetic Roulette — Monsanto is evil

Hero, a friend of Lisa’s, sent this email today that I have copied and pasted here in this post. I thought it was an important message that needs to be heard. Monsanto is evil.

Hey Guys,

Please don’t hate me. But I need to send this to you. I know a little bahhumbug. But this is so so so important.

I’m not sure if you watched the GMO trailer that I sent you guys. It’s a bit sensational, I know, but the message is important. There is not a lot of scientific or unbiased reputable literature out there because Monsanto uses political and fiscal force to discredit scientists who try and study it. They prevent it from being taught in schools and they conduct their own “studies.” It’s incredibly political and biased. However, a few scientifically sound studies have shown horrible effects, including rapid tumor growth and death in rat studies in long-term studies.

Here’s a summary of one well conducted study from 2009:

Study in Journal of Biological Sciences fed rats the 3 most popularly grown varieties of genetically modified corn to test the effects of long term consumption. Based on their findings, researchers concluded that consuming these varieties pose grave health risks and they’re calling for an immediate ban on cultivating these grains.

Specifically, the effects in rats were:

  • Up to 50% of males and 70% of females suffered premature death.
  • Rats that drank trace amounts of Roundup (at levels legally allowed in the water supply) had a 200% to 300% increase in large tumors.
  • Rats fed GM corn and traces of Roundup (an herbicide) suffered severe organ damage including liver damage and kidney damage.
  • Up to 80% of the females had mammary (breast) tumors by the end of the study (after 90 days).

Think you’re not eating that corn? WRONG! Monsanto produced NK603 (one of the three varieties tested), is grown across North America and is in your corn based breakfast cereal, corn tortillas, corn chips. It’s used in livestock feed, so it’s all your non-organic meat. Upwards from 85% of the corn in our food supply is GM corn.

Corn and soy are in basically everything, read some of your ingredient lists and you’ll start to recognize that. GM corn came into our food supply in 1992. We are the living long-term science experiment. Kids who have only had Bt corn will be the real science experiments.

Monsanto spent 10 million dollars in marketing and lobbying in California to prevent the prop 37 law (labeling of GM foods) from being passed in this past election.

Ok, this is why I choose organic meat and soy and don’t eat corn, canola oil, cotton oil or beet sugar (or at least as minimally as possible).

Just want to keep you safe because I care.

xoxoxoxoxo

Dec 4

4 Comments

Earthlings

Earthlings is a documentary that makes Food Inc. look like a Disney film. Covering pet stores, puppy mills and animal shelters, as well as factory farms, the leather and fur trades, sports and entertainment industries, and finally the medical and scientific profession, Earthlings includes footage obtained through the use of hidden cameras to chronicle the day-to-day practices of some of the largest industries in the world, all of which rely on animals.

If you choose to watch the movie in its entirety (which I have posted above) I warn you in advance that it is difficult to complete in one sitting. These are disturbing, but real images.

Consider these startling statistics from the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals (CCFA):

  • Every year, over 665 million animals are killed for food in Canada.
  • 15 million animals are kept as companions.
  • Approximately two million animals are used in research, teaching, and testing.

Battery cages

  • An estimated 98 per cent of Canada’s 26 million egg-laying hens are kept in small, cramped “battery” cages where they are unable to perform natural behaviours such as nesting, perching, dust-bathing, stretching a wing or walking around – activities that are important to them. Each bird has less space than a sheet of notebook paper.
  • Hens are forced to stand on sloping wire floors, and they suffer feather loss and skin damage due to constant rubbing against the cage and cage-mates.

Sow stalls

  • Sow stalls are metal barred cages about 2 feet wide by 7 feet long. Female breeding pigs (called “sows”) are confined to these tiny stalls for their entire life. The stalls are so small the sow cannot turn around. Instead, her movement is limited to one step forward or one step back. She must eat, sleep, urinate and defecate in this tiny space. The waste falls through slatted concrete floors to a pool of raw sewage underneath her.
  • Over 1,440,000 sows are raised in Canada – the vast majority in stalls. Almost 320,000 sows are kept in Manitoba, which has Canada’s fastest growing hog industry. The problem is getting worse. Canada’s hog industry continues to expand and most new sow barns are equipped with sow stalls.

Animal transport

  • Virtually all farmed animals are transported at least once in their lives. Long-distance journeys are a traumatic experience for farmed animals.
  • Horses, pigs and poultry are transported 36 hours without food water or rest, in addition to a 5-hour food withdrawal period;
  • Cattle, sheep, goats are transported 52 hours within Canada without food, water or rest, in addition to a 5-hour food withdrawal period;
  • Rest periods are only 5 hours following maximum travel times, until transport begins again;
  • Existing standards actually allow beating an animal, stating, “No person shall beat an animal being loaded or unloaded in a way likely to cause injury or undue suffering to it.”

Other issues

  • Dairy production. The condition of dairy cows on farm, at auction and in transport is a growing welfare concern. Of particular concern is the growing number of unfit “cull cows” being transported to livestock markets. Cull animals are those considered no longer productive. When animals cannot walk or are unfit for transport due to injury or ill health, they should be euthanized on farm. 
  • Horse slaughter. Since the slaughter of horses for meat ended in the United States in September 2007, the number of horses killed for meat in Canada has risen significantly. From January to September 2008, 59,828 slaughter-bound horses were imported to Canada from the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Agriculture Canada reports that from January to September 2008, 84,288 horses died in Canadian slaughterhouses – 71% from the U.S. Horse meat from Canadian slaughter plants is exported across the world, with most going to parts of Europe and Asia. A small percentage remains in Canada for consumption in Quebec.

So what can you do to ensure that animals are treated with the dignity that they deserve? The most humane option is not to eat animals. unfortunately so many of us believe that it is our right to eat factory farm animals. If you do choose to consume animal products, choose certified organic, humane certified, free range or free-run. Keep in mind that even more humanely raised animals experience transport and slaughter similar to factory-farmed animals.

When shopping keep in mind the following:

  1. “Certified Organic,” meaning the animal was raised according to the standards of an organic certified and verified by an independent inspector.
  2. “Humane Certified,” meaning the animal was raised according to the standards of a humane society or SPCA, and verified by an independent inspector. In Canada, “Winnipeg Humane Society Certified” and “BC SPCA Certified” are the two existing Canadian certifiers.
  3. “Free Range” or “Free Run,” meaning that the animal was not kept in a cage, and was permitted to roam about either outdoors (free range) or inside a barn (free run). Please note, however, that CCFA cannot assure consumers that these claims are true, as there is no independent inspection.

The most important advice I can give you is to read. Educate yourself about factory farming and take an interest in animal welfare. Look outside of yourself and try to make a positive difference in the health of humans, other animals and the planet. Don’t be apathetic, and learn how the food you eat ends up on your plate. Care for animals, because they depend on us to speak for them. Don’t tolerate suffering and don’t allow anyone to shame you into not caring. There is nothing wrong with being passionate about ending cruelty, especially against the innocent and defenceless.

*Special thanks to the CCFA and Wikipedia for plentiful information that I have used in this post.

Nov 19

The Ghosts In Our Machine

“I’m trying to save the world,” reveals director Liz Marshall. Though I wouldn’t say something so self-indulgent I definitely respect her for doing more than I have.

Nov 14

High Park Station, Toronto

I’m finding my purpose

High Park Station, Toronto

So it’s a cruel world. Since adopting a vegetarian diet years ago I’ve faced numerous critics. At first I kept the reasons for my choice quiet, careful not to be “too preachy” and risk alienating friends. Then as I learned more about animal welfare, I became increasingly more angry at the apathy and ignorance people demonstrated at the plight of animals. It’s not just killing animals for food. It’s also about bringing them into our families and then abandoning them when they no longer suit our purposes or adapt to our lifestyles.

Life is cruel. If I listen to challengers, I guess I should accept that sobering reality and shut up. Really? If I’m sad about a pig slaughter, should I feel guilty that I’m not equally as sad that a tree was recently sawed to the ground? Does this mean that I’m a hypocrite, full of contradictions and therefore I should keep my opinions to myself?

Perhaps. There are countless ways to see the world, but I know for certain that I’m trying to do my part to spread kindness and compassion for those without a voice. True, as a vegetarian and speaking about the injustices inflicted on animals, I’ve done something, more than most people.

But I think I can do more. Increasingly, everyday, I’m finding my purpose. It has little to do with improving my wealth, my possessions or my status. What I want to do is be involved in enacting change for animals who are treated like they are property with no feelings, emotions, needs, or rights.

You know we’ve sat around for too long doing nothing. I’ve listened earnestly to the arguments against my position, I’ve considered them and I have been sympathetic. It doesn’t end the suffering. The only way animal rights can be heard is if humans speak for them. I believe that I can do that. And I am beginning to believe that it’s the reason that I was born.

Or maybe I’m crazy.

Nov 14

4 Comments

Think eating bacon is still okay?

The above video is hard to stomach but if you believe in factory farming and that eating meat is a human right, then maybe it would help to learn how your next meal came to end up on your plate.

I can’t tolerate human cruelty, especially when its only purpose is to fulfill gluttonous impulses. To take a live piglet and smack its entire body violently on the ground… I don’t have the words folks. I can’t explain to you how much I feel that pig’s pain. I can’t explain to you how wrong it is to treat a defenceless animal that way.

What I do know is that I have to do something to save them, and being a vegetarian isn’t enough.

Please think before you eat. I implore all my readers to learn what happens to these poor animals to satisfy our needs.

Go vegetarian. Go vegan. Save the planet. Save a life.

Nov 4

2 Comments

Maude is a dolphin activist

Many hours in my day are passed reading about the plight of animals the world over. I demand knowledge about their treatment, because the animals deserve it. They deserve to have their stories heard while so many of us choose to ignore their suffering.

In 2009 upon recommendation from Alisha I rented The Cove. What I learned was not surprising. Dolphins are extremely intelligent mammals who recognize themselves in mirrors and have the ability to commit suicide if they believe they are in distress.

The movie takes a critical look at the dolphin hunt in Japan, a barbaric exercise of mass murder where migrating dolphins are herded into a cove, netted and then killed by spears and knives from fishing boats above. The scene depicting this frightening episode is not for the squeamish.

When we watch movies in the living room Maude will often sit by our feet and watch them with us. It’s pretty funny, but she’s a companion dog and it’s her thing. She wants to be near people always. As I sat watching the penultimate scene,  Maude was predictably near staring at the television. But this time things took an unusual turn. I noticed that she was getting agitated listening to the screams of the dolphins.

I quickly paused the program and she calmed down. I didn’t quite understand that she was reacting to what was happening on the screen. As I resumed the movie her nervousness continued and she began barking and crying in a manner that made me believe that she was suffering. I stopped the movie and with Keith’s help calmed her down with belly rubs and kisses. I had to wait until she was asleep in her bed to complete the film.

What transpired was a sea of blood as helpless dolphins faced the brunt of human cruelty. 25,000 dolphins are killed in this fashion every year. Entire generations are wiped out for their fins and their meat.

I can’t stop talking about animal rights until we admit our complacency in their pain. It is our apathy and our inflexibility that has led to the destruction of entire ecosystems.

My position is that animals are purer than humans, and in many cases more intelligent. We will be judged by how we have treated them. I believe that more than anything.

There has to be another way. There is another way. All we need is more education. The more you learn about where your meat comes from, the less likely you are to eat it.

Knowledge is power. And it’s at your fingertips.

Mar 28

2 Comments

Elephants Never Forget

I often struggle whether writing about subject matters that I’m passionately and personally involved with is a good idea. Like animal rights. There is so much cruelty towards animals in this world that it breaks my heart over and over again. But so many of us pay no attention, even though our hedonism is responsible for much of the injustices inflicted on animals. I don’t want to sit on top of my soap box, or be preachy or pretend that I am better than anyone else, but something has to be done.

Early this evening I was conducting some research on an independent feature-length film by CanazWest Picture Inc. about Asian elephants. They are hoping for a theatrical and television distribution but have to raise sufficient funds. I was going through their Twitter photos when I caught a glimpse of an elephant whose trunk was cut off of his face. He was left alive, and in agony. How could someone do such a thing?

I want to help but how can I? We live in a world where the majority believe that animals exist only for our entertainment and then nourishment. People proudly post photos on their blogs of the steak from their dinner the night before with no acknowledgement that it was once alive and probably suffered a great deal to end up on their plate. It sickens me. It really does. I know I should reserve judgment, but I can’t understand how we’re capable of ignoring cruelty. Our attitude is what we don’t know won’t hurt us.

Elephants are exceptionally intelligent creatures but that shouldn’t be reason enough to save them from harm. We should want to protect them not because they are smart but because it is the right thing to do. I don’t know where humans ever got the idea that they were more worthy of life than any other animal. Especially since it is humans who behave the most horrific.

I do what I can. I haven’t touched meat in seven years. I try to educate myself about where I buy my clothes and I frequently make my own dinner and buy local fruits and vegetables. But it isn’t enough.

Collectively we need to think differently and respect the rights of every creature on this planet to live their life free of violence and neglect. Including dogs. Including elephants. Including sharks. The list goes on.

I pray that by the end of my life that the Canadian seal hunt will have been abolished and those responsible will be brought to justice. The idea that it’s legal to club a seal to death is a stain on humanity, and it will always remain.

But what I find worse than such callous disregard for life, is our apathy about it. The simple belief that what lands on our plate, or what is used to make fashion is not our problem. It might not be our problem, because we are the problem.

Mar 24

Unconditional love

Street art in Brazil

Street art in Brazil

Owning an English Bulldog has been one of the happiest experiences of my life. People assume, due to their sourpuss appearance, that they’re an aggressive breed, but nothing could be further from the truth. Maude is the most affectionate and loving dog I have ever had. She has brought a lot of joy into my life. Being in Buenos Aires I haven’t been able to see her as much as I would like to, but I’m going home in April to reunite with her, and my cat Beenie of course. I miss weekend mornings cuddling in bed and taking early morning walks. I miss how stubborn she is and her sloppy kisses.

I don’t ‘get’ people who don’t like animals. One of my dreams is to buy a house with a huge backyard for all my animals that I intend to have. Dogs demonstrate unconditional love, and in return they ask that you’re nice to them. Just nice. A couple of years ago I was reading a story about a woman in the U.S. who was criminally charged for picking up her English Bulldog and throwing it on the ground. There was a video that accompanied the article and against my better judgment I watched it. Why did I watch it? I remember sitting in front of my computer and sobbing uncontrollably. I couldn’t understand why this woman would take all her unhappiness out on her dog. All he required was a little love, a little tenderness, but instead he got a dose of human cruelty.

I wish I could save every animal in distress. There is no such thing as a bad dog, just bad owners. Why can’t we get that? Anyway, Maude is lucky. She has more love than I’ve ever received in this world, and for her, I would expect nothing less.

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