To our animal friends, have we gone too far?

Animal and plant life existed on earth long before humans made their evolutionary appearance. As Man evolved from Hunter and Gatherer to a mass producing and slaughtering species, animals have endured immense suffering.

Throughout history, animals have been used for food, medicine, clothing and shelter...etc. Native Peoples did not harvest animals without giving a thought to the life that was taken. It was the complete opposite; they considered themselves a part of the natural and spiritual worlds and had strong ties to the land on which they lived. Many of the early cultures paid tribute to the animals that were taken; ceremonies within these cultures were often held for the hunted animal indicating a respect for the animal. They considered religion a function of daily activity, with rituals capable of influencing the interconnected realms of physical and supernatural existence. Shamans, or medicine men, served as priests, and they led tribal members in rituals believed to ensure an adequate food supply. (1.)

Man, The Industrialist, has eliminated all respect for animals. To Man, the only life of value is the human consumer. The purpose of animals to the Industrialists and Corporate Moguls: use animals anyway and in whatever numbers to make billions from the fat, spoiled, lazy consumers of the industrialized countries. There are many incidents supporting their greed:

1. Man has developed the technology to create clothing that is furless. There is no need to kill animals for fur. But, because of human arrogance, greed, selfishness and amoral beliefs, millions and millions of animals are being exterminated each year.

2. We have exploited our oceans; dumping lethal oil into the waters, destroying marine life, and wiping out the fish stocks.

3. Polluted rivers and streams, air pollution, and using the planet as our own personal toilet, is destroying our planet and all of its species

How we maintain animals has deteriorated to the point of calling the care and production of these animals genocidal, or more fitting, speciecidal:

Avian Influenza

The disease has been suspected for more than 100 years, first described in Italy in 1878. (2.) The major transmission from farm to farm is the movement of infected poultry across countries, and wild birds are only a scapegoat Mass production and housing thousands of birds increases the chance of an outbreak of the disease. What is likely however is that the disease will, like human ‘flu, continue to occur in outbreaks from now on. The structure of the modern poultry industry almost guarantees it. (3.) Culling wild birds will never stop Avian Influenza.

What results is the brutal mass killing of upward of 50 million birds or more although transmission to humans is very low. At some point in their lifetime, most people have likely consumed meat from a chicken that was a virus carrier.

Mad Cow Disease (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy/BSE)

Mad Cow Disease is the commonly used name for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), a slowly progressive, degenerative, fatal disease affecting the central nervous system of adult cattle. (4.) The disease is spread by moving animals from country to country and by mixing dead animal tissue (brain and spinal cord) in the cattle feed.
What resulted from the lack of concern for the cattle, themselves, was a widespread slaughter of millions of animals.

Because we have evolved to a mass producing species, animals have become a means to fulfilling our gluttonous desires and obsessions. Somewhere along the evolutionary ladder, we decided that it was ok to brutalize animals as long it benefits or amuses us.

We can’t help but wonder if the human race will become its own worst enemy that cannot be defeated. We should look to our past, at traditional native peoples’ respect for the animals they hunted. We can learn so much from our past, not just the mistakes.

Endnotes:

1. Native Americans of North America. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Standard 2004 Arlene Hirschfelder, Ned Blackhawk, Trudy Griffin-Pierce, David J. Meltzer, Carl Waldman © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
2. Dr Hugh Buck Avian Influenza – a veterinary doctor's opinion http://www.birdlife.org/action/change/avian_flu/hugh_buck.html © 2004 BirdLife. The global bird conservation alliance working together for birds and people. Retrieved April 3 2004
3. Dr Hugh Buck Avian Influenza – a veterinary doctor's opinion http://www.birdlife.org/action/change/avian_flu/hugh_buck.html © 2004 BirdLife
4. Commonly Asked Questions About BSE in Products Regulated by FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) FDA/Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/bsefaq.html January 14, 2004; Updated January 30, 2004 Retrieved April 3 2004

Copyright 2004 © TrysDan Roberts www.trysdansbooks.com word count: 757 words