Speaking of cruelty in nature it entered my mind that we are
in fact the cruelest species on earth. I admit we are omnivores and therefore
we eat vegetables, fruits, and meat and fish. There is nothing wrong with that.
Even more: we need a variety of nutrients to stay healthy. A long, long time
ago people hunted themselves to feed their own family. Or men went out hunting
together for the whole tribe. When I was young the cows were really taken care
of. During winter they stayed in huge stables but in spring they came out to
graze in the grassland. Often we could see the young calves running and jumping
around and it was really great to watch. It all looked so peaceful. Nowadays
cattle are kept in large groups to produce milk and offspring. The majority do
not see daylight anymore. There is not too much affection coming from the
farmers who simply are running a business. Mind you, we cannot blame them
really. Rules and regulations came and the farmers had no other choice but
accept them. Rules and regulations from people who make them up, sitting behind
their desks. They often have no idea about farming at all but only see figures.
You probably have seen (pictures of) battery cages? That is
what I call cruelty. Chickens should be able to scavenge, forage, scratching in
the sand and soil to find their food. Some years ago there was this documentary
about a slaughterhouse. The chickens were hung by their feet in a moving chain,
waiting in fear until their heads were chopped off. Needless to say that the
employees have no feelings at all for these poor birds. Of course, most of us like
our chicken filet or drumsticks. In order to enjoy our chicken delight, we have
to kill them. But can it not be done in a more humane way, please? In December
2014 I stayed with a family here in the Philippines and witnessed how they were
making preparations for New Year’s Eve. That day I decided to watch how they
killed some chickens. Until then I could not think of witnessing this kind of
acts but I thought that is quite a hypocrite. It was done very fast and I truly
believe the birds did not suffer longer than needed. No, I am not an
animal-rights-activist. Believe it or not but in the Netherlands is a political
party called the animal party. A very small party and it is good that things
are not done the way they would like it. I tend to think that if they had a
saying in it the employees in slaughterhouses should cuddle the animals to
death!
Worldwide pigs are considered to be filthy and stupid
animals. On the contrary! True, they like to roll in the mud. You probably know
why they do that: to get rid of annoying bugs. Also, they are very intelligent
and social animals. Some people keep them as pets. But for the meat industry, they are just walking pork chops.
A few years ago I helped young sea turtles to get to the
sea. There was this sanctuary in the town where I lived. Their goal is to save
as many eggs as they can. We were told that out of the 100 youngsters that were
released only 1 will become an adult. All others would be eaten or…trapped in
fishnets where they more than likely would drown. That is a horrible thought, isn’t
it? The picture was taken by me, in the dark, while I had to make sure the
turtles were safe. So it is not what we call a sharp picture.
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| Will one of these still be alive? |
These are just a few examples of how we treat animals. How
people treat people can be even worse but I really do not want to there for it
would not fit in a blog. That would rather be a series of books.
Love the ones you’re
with and be loved in return.
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