- On a chicken farm in Tennessee which produces poultry for Tyson, it was reported that 73,500 chickens would be euthanized and kept out of the food chain because of the detection of a strain of bird flu in the flock. (Source: http://fox6now.com/2017/03/05/usda-bird-flu-found-at-commercial-chicken-farm-in-tennessee/)
- Poachers broke into a Paris zoo, shot a captive white rhinoceros three times in the head, and cut off his horn with a chainsaw. (Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/07/rhino-shot-dead-by-poachers-at-french-zoo)
- In Kenya, poachers killed a critically endangered "tusker" elephant, Satao II, by shooting him with a poisoned dart in order to harvest his ivory. The elephant was found by Kenyan Wildlife Service agents before the poachers had a chance to remove the elephant's tusks. (Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/satao-ii-elephant-poaching-tusker-ivory-ban-kenya-tsavo-trust-a7614851.html)
These kinds of senseless killings are becoming more and more commonplace. Add to them the slaughter of millions of farmed animals daily and one thing becomes clear: humanity has failed the animals that share the planet with us, and our own greed and appetites have resulted in unnecessary killing and violence of these creatures.
When will we wake up and realize that:
- animals don't want to die?
- animals are intelligent, sentient beings with personalities, who enjoy social and family relationships with their kind just as we do with ours?
- eating animals is not healthy for our bodies?
- factory farming is destroying our environment?
There are many people who would argue that God gave us dominion over animals and use that as a convenient excuse for animal abuse and slaughter. Somehow I don't think that this is what God had in mind.
Animals deserve better. They deserve love. They deserve freedom and life and happiness.
What if the tables were turned and animals had dominion over mankind? In an ironic twist, maybe they do. Perhaps the antibiotic-resistant super bugs that plague humanity are their revenge for all that we have done to decimate and desecrate our non-human fellow earthlings.
We have so many other choices -- better choices -- for nourishing and clothing our bodies and furnishing our homes. We don't need meat, leather, fur, or ivory to be happy, healthy, or successful. In fact, in harming animals we are only hurting ourselves and destroying our planet.
Animals deserve better, and so do we. We can all live happy, healthy lives and improve our environment if we will rethink our choices and live with compassion toward ALL life.
For the animals, better health, and a cleaner planet --
Dee Dee
Copyright 2016-2017 by Dee Dee Wike and Joy Wike. All rights reserved. www.feelingveggiegood.com
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