(no subject)
I went to Peaceful Prairie yesterday with my Animals and Society class. http://www.peacefulprairie.org/ It’s a rescue for farm animals. Every animal there, including the cats and dogs have been rescued from an abusive situation. Some are taken from the dead-piles at slaughter houses. Some are literally taken out of trash cans. Some are taken right before they’re thrown live into a wood chipper. Some are brought here from other people who rescued them from bad situations. Bumper, a young steer, was a 4H animal who was raised for slaughter. The daughter decided she couldn’t send him off to be slaughtered. Her mom told her she had to, so she said, “Fine, you raise him and then kill him.” So the mom took over - and she too decided she couldn’t send him off to have his neck slashed. Both mom and daughter have now become vegan.
Bumper, the red steer, is now 18 months old and a trouble maker. He seeks out attention and loves to play, but he doesn’t know his own strength and can hurt you throwing his massive head around. When he’s playing calm enough, he loves to be petted.
Oscar is a pig. And when I say pig I mean PIG. He is huge. Most of these animals, even the ones raised for organic meat, have been genetically modified to maximize the farmer’s profits. Oscar is so big that he can barely stand. His legs tremble with his own weight because they can’t support him. He loves rub downs; scratch his back and he’ll swing back and forth against you. While pigs eat very little for their size, Oscar was more than happy to eat if you fed him - so Leslie and I hand fed him a pumpkin…which he very possibly ate in his sleep.
Seymore the sheep was amazing. He followed us around the farm, looking for a little love here and a little love there. His woolly coat is thick and smushy, so much so that he can’t feel hail. You could burry your fingers in it. He was happy just to hang out with you and be part of the activity. He’s nicknames “Seeless” when it’s time to sheer him because his wool grows down over his eyes.
Justice, a steer who was headed off for slaughter, is the largest cow I have ever seen - and my grandpa use to run a cattle ranch. This guy is MASSIVE. He was so abused that he is still afraid of people and can only be touched on his head. But he loves having his nose and forehead rubbed down. This guy is so big that people were scared of him, but he is such a calm sweetheart once you get to know him.
There were maybe 25 chickens. Maybe of them have blown out knees because they’ve been genetically modified to have huge breasts and their bodies can’t support their weight. Polly is a cuddle bunny. She was so sweet, nestled into Amanda’s arms. Her feathers were softer than you would believe. She’s living in the house for the moment because the other chickens were beating her up. In both caged egg facilities and “free-range” facilities the animals are packed in, not ever seeing the light of day, all the males are killed the day they are born and the females are all debeaked with a hot knife. They are crammed in so tightly that they will peck each other to death if their beaks are not cut off. Many of them are featherless with skin rashes. A live chicken without feathers looks just like the meat you eat, and after looking one and seeing him walk around, after holding and touching him, I will never again look at chicken wings the same. It’s not a piece of meat anymore, it’s Polly. The one legged chicken, whose name I can’t remember, was from a free rang facility. The chickens all stand on a grate, which allows the eggs to drop down. Her foot was caught in the grate and she was yanked out and her foot was ripped off.
Melvin, the turkey, was the most interesting. He’s a bit of a ladies’ man, fluffing up his feathers for us. The more attention he got, the more he blushed. Not joking. His gobble turned purple, then blue, in his “turkey blush.” He is also genetically modified to be much larger than he should be, so you cannot pick him up. His gobble is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever touched. It’s softer than imaginable. Wrinkly and smooth and wonderful. His eyes closed when you rubbed him right. Oh Melvin, the blushing turkey. I was debating about Thanksgiving this year, but the second I met him I knew I had to boycott again. I can’t eat Melvin and I won’t support others who want to kill and eat such a wonderful animal.
And then there’s Oliver. Oh gosh, what to say about this guy. He’s a little goat who loves people. He’s the dangerous one on the farm. If he doesn’t get enough attention, he’ll come up behind you and ram your legs. “Well, on Saturday I got beat up by a goat…” He’s a true lover though. He loves being scratched behind his ears. I sat on the ground and he crawled into my lap, standing right over me, leaning into my chest. His eyes were closed and he fell asleep standing up, basking in the sun and the scratches. He won my heart over in a second with his loving nature.
Morally, I should be vegan, but it seems so hard to make the change from vegetarian to vegan. I know it’s not hard once you become familiar with the foods and how to cook them, but the actual change seemed like more than I could do right now. But after seeing this, after knowing what happens to chickens in egg farms and cows in the dairy industry, after being enlightened to the world, I don’t think I can make any other choice. If people know what goes on behind the scenes, if they know the suffering that is caused and the cruelty that goes on and that they are causing it - and they’re ok with it, then that’s one thing. I don’t understand it or agree with it, but as long as people are taking responsibility for their actions, there’s not a lot I can do. But when people are just in denial and don’t want to take responsibility for their actions, when they don’t even want to know what happens and won’t admit that they’re supporting these things, that’s what bothers me. And I have been one of those people the last few years. I didn’t want to know what happened in the egg and dairy industries because I knew that if I found out I would have to become vegan. For years, I’ve avoided it. But someone has forced me to open my eyes, and now that they’re opened and I have learned more of the truth, I have to make a lifestyle change. I can’t not.
Bumper, the red steer, is now 18 months old and a trouble maker. He seeks out attention and loves to play, but he doesn’t know his own strength and can hurt you throwing his massive head around. When he’s playing calm enough, he loves to be petted.
Oscar is a pig. And when I say pig I mean PIG. He is huge. Most of these animals, even the ones raised for organic meat, have been genetically modified to maximize the farmer’s profits. Oscar is so big that he can barely stand. His legs tremble with his own weight because they can’t support him. He loves rub downs; scratch his back and he’ll swing back and forth against you. While pigs eat very little for their size, Oscar was more than happy to eat if you fed him - so Leslie and I hand fed him a pumpkin…which he very possibly ate in his sleep.
Seymore the sheep was amazing. He followed us around the farm, looking for a little love here and a little love there. His woolly coat is thick and smushy, so much so that he can’t feel hail. You could burry your fingers in it. He was happy just to hang out with you and be part of the activity. He’s nicknames “Seeless” when it’s time to sheer him because his wool grows down over his eyes.
Justice, a steer who was headed off for slaughter, is the largest cow I have ever seen - and my grandpa use to run a cattle ranch. This guy is MASSIVE. He was so abused that he is still afraid of people and can only be touched on his head. But he loves having his nose and forehead rubbed down. This guy is so big that people were scared of him, but he is such a calm sweetheart once you get to know him.
There were maybe 25 chickens. Maybe of them have blown out knees because they’ve been genetically modified to have huge breasts and their bodies can’t support their weight. Polly is a cuddle bunny. She was so sweet, nestled into Amanda’s arms. Her feathers were softer than you would believe. She’s living in the house for the moment because the other chickens were beating her up. In both caged egg facilities and “free-range” facilities the animals are packed in, not ever seeing the light of day, all the males are killed the day they are born and the females are all debeaked with a hot knife. They are crammed in so tightly that they will peck each other to death if their beaks are not cut off. Many of them are featherless with skin rashes. A live chicken without feathers looks just like the meat you eat, and after looking one and seeing him walk around, after holding and touching him, I will never again look at chicken wings the same. It’s not a piece of meat anymore, it’s Polly. The one legged chicken, whose name I can’t remember, was from a free rang facility. The chickens all stand on a grate, which allows the eggs to drop down. Her foot was caught in the grate and she was yanked out and her foot was ripped off.
Melvin, the turkey, was the most interesting. He’s a bit of a ladies’ man, fluffing up his feathers for us. The more attention he got, the more he blushed. Not joking. His gobble turned purple, then blue, in his “turkey blush.” He is also genetically modified to be much larger than he should be, so you cannot pick him up. His gobble is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever touched. It’s softer than imaginable. Wrinkly and smooth and wonderful. His eyes closed when you rubbed him right. Oh Melvin, the blushing turkey. I was debating about Thanksgiving this year, but the second I met him I knew I had to boycott again. I can’t eat Melvin and I won’t support others who want to kill and eat such a wonderful animal.
And then there’s Oliver. Oh gosh, what to say about this guy. He’s a little goat who loves people. He’s the dangerous one on the farm. If he doesn’t get enough attention, he’ll come up behind you and ram your legs. “Well, on Saturday I got beat up by a goat…” He’s a true lover though. He loves being scratched behind his ears. I sat on the ground and he crawled into my lap, standing right over me, leaning into my chest. His eyes were closed and he fell asleep standing up, basking in the sun and the scratches. He won my heart over in a second with his loving nature.
Morally, I should be vegan, but it seems so hard to make the change from vegetarian to vegan. I know it’s not hard once you become familiar with the foods and how to cook them, but the actual change seemed like more than I could do right now. But after seeing this, after knowing what happens to chickens in egg farms and cows in the dairy industry, after being enlightened to the world, I don’t think I can make any other choice. If people know what goes on behind the scenes, if they know the suffering that is caused and the cruelty that goes on and that they are causing it - and they’re ok with it, then that’s one thing. I don’t understand it or agree with it, but as long as people are taking responsibility for their actions, there’s not a lot I can do. But when people are just in denial and don’t want to take responsibility for their actions, when they don’t even want to know what happens and won’t admit that they’re supporting these things, that’s what bothers me. And I have been one of those people the last few years. I didn’t want to know what happened in the egg and dairy industries because I knew that if I found out I would have to become vegan. For years, I’ve avoided it. But someone has forced me to open my eyes, and now that they’re opened and I have learned more of the truth, I have to make a lifestyle change. I can’t not.