For The Animals
The word "animal" comes from the Latin, anima, which means life principle, breath, air, soul, living being.
We've all heard the expression, knowledge is power, and with that power we believe, comes the responsibility to take action - compassionate action to be precise. Educating ourselves and others as to the countless injustices animals of all species face daily is the first step towards cultivating change. It is up to us to take responsibility for our choices and actions, and to be aware of the consequences of such.
Did you know that hundreds of thousands of domestic animals are killed everyday in animal shelters all across the country? Euthanasia is no longer an act reserved for elderly and sick animals. Young, healthy animals are being put to sleep each day due to the devastating issue of over-population, which is a serious problem with a simple solution. While hundreds of thousands of cats, dogs, and even rabbits sit in cages day after day tempting fate and facing limited resources and care, an equal amount are relegated to the streets, living in harsh weather conditions, fighting for food and shelter, and often dying brutal deaths, most often due to predators, hypothermia, starvation, being hit by cars, or at the hands of cruel individuals who have been known to poison, shoot, and torture animals they consider to be a nuisance on their property.
Along with the grave reality of widespread suffering, euthanasia and death, leaving your own companion's reproductive organs "intact" also often leads to serious, painful and deadly diseases, all of which can be avoided with a simple surgery. Females who remain unspayed are prone to mammary tumors, which are the equivalent to, and just as serious as breast cancer in a woman; as well as a potentially fatal condition called Pyometra, a painful infection of the uterus that if undetected and untreated will ultimately kill the animal. Males are prone to Testicular Cancer, resulting in the growth of tumors on the testicles themselves, causing discomfort, swelling, and oftentimes death. Spaying and neutering your animal companions will not only keep them healthier and happier for many years to come, it will undoubtedly save the lives of the thousands of unlucky animals sitting in shelters or roaming the streets. Ask for help, do your research, and make a difference.
Luckily today there are numerous organizations that offer low cost spay/neuter programs, as well as vaccination clinics, and reduced cost veterinarian care. 1-800-SPAYUSA is a great place to begin. Check out your local shelters, clinics, and rescue groups. Many will have access to resources that can help families dealing with economic hardship and distress but who still want to do what is best for their pets and the animal community.
And don’t forget that although a prominent cause for over-population is the neglectful decision not to spay or neuter our animal companions, it is not the only poor decision with equally poor results. Choosing to adopt your animal companions from a shelter or sanctuary will not only save the life of that particular animal, but in turn save the animal that can then be rescued since your adoption freed up space for another desperate soul in need. Choosing to purchase animals of any species or breed from a pet shop or breeder not only contributes to the countless, daily deaths of innocent, would-be companions, but also perpetuates the horrendous puppy-mill industry; one in which capitalizes on mistreatment and abusive, cruel behaviors that forcefully over-breed, neglect, and often drug innocent animals so that the proprietors can charge upwards of $3,000 for a pick of the litter. And although there may be reputable, kindhearted, loving individuals who choose to breed their animals for preservation of a genetic line, or deep admiration of a life-long companion, there is no denying the serious repercussions of choosing to purchase these animals when countless more will die due to a lack of homes.
Educating yourself and being aware of the severe issues animals face daily is the first step in contributing to lasting change. Spread the word, ask for help, and treat all animals as you would your own, or even yourself. You’ll be saving thousands of lives in the process.
The following information was obtained from "The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life," by Melisser Elliot.
Did you know that animals on factory farms are confined in horrendous conditions? By the thousands, chickens, cows, pigs, and turkeys are stuck in gestation crates, cages, and windowless sheds, never to see the outside world or feel the sun on their backs.
And folks, these are just some of the appalling facts. We implore you to make decision today to go vegan. It is the number one thing you can do to help ease the unimaginable, global pain and suffering.
We've all heard the expression, knowledge is power, and with that power we believe, comes the responsibility to take action - compassionate action to be precise. Educating ourselves and others as to the countless injustices animals of all species face daily is the first step towards cultivating change. It is up to us to take responsibility for our choices and actions, and to be aware of the consequences of such.
Did you know that hundreds of thousands of domestic animals are killed everyday in animal shelters all across the country? Euthanasia is no longer an act reserved for elderly and sick animals. Young, healthy animals are being put to sleep each day due to the devastating issue of over-population, which is a serious problem with a simple solution. While hundreds of thousands of cats, dogs, and even rabbits sit in cages day after day tempting fate and facing limited resources and care, an equal amount are relegated to the streets, living in harsh weather conditions, fighting for food and shelter, and often dying brutal deaths, most often due to predators, hypothermia, starvation, being hit by cars, or at the hands of cruel individuals who have been known to poison, shoot, and torture animals they consider to be a nuisance on their property.
Along with the grave reality of widespread suffering, euthanasia and death, leaving your own companion's reproductive organs "intact" also often leads to serious, painful and deadly diseases, all of which can be avoided with a simple surgery. Females who remain unspayed are prone to mammary tumors, which are the equivalent to, and just as serious as breast cancer in a woman; as well as a potentially fatal condition called Pyometra, a painful infection of the uterus that if undetected and untreated will ultimately kill the animal. Males are prone to Testicular Cancer, resulting in the growth of tumors on the testicles themselves, causing discomfort, swelling, and oftentimes death. Spaying and neutering your animal companions will not only keep them healthier and happier for many years to come, it will undoubtedly save the lives of the thousands of unlucky animals sitting in shelters or roaming the streets. Ask for help, do your research, and make a difference.
Luckily today there are numerous organizations that offer low cost spay/neuter programs, as well as vaccination clinics, and reduced cost veterinarian care. 1-800-SPAYUSA is a great place to begin. Check out your local shelters, clinics, and rescue groups. Many will have access to resources that can help families dealing with economic hardship and distress but who still want to do what is best for their pets and the animal community.
And don’t forget that although a prominent cause for over-population is the neglectful decision not to spay or neuter our animal companions, it is not the only poor decision with equally poor results. Choosing to adopt your animal companions from a shelter or sanctuary will not only save the life of that particular animal, but in turn save the animal that can then be rescued since your adoption freed up space for another desperate soul in need. Choosing to purchase animals of any species or breed from a pet shop or breeder not only contributes to the countless, daily deaths of innocent, would-be companions, but also perpetuates the horrendous puppy-mill industry; one in which capitalizes on mistreatment and abusive, cruel behaviors that forcefully over-breed, neglect, and often drug innocent animals so that the proprietors can charge upwards of $3,000 for a pick of the litter. And although there may be reputable, kindhearted, loving individuals who choose to breed their animals for preservation of a genetic line, or deep admiration of a life-long companion, there is no denying the serious repercussions of choosing to purchase these animals when countless more will die due to a lack of homes.
Educating yourself and being aware of the severe issues animals face daily is the first step in contributing to lasting change. Spread the word, ask for help, and treat all animals as you would your own, or even yourself. You’ll be saving thousands of lives in the process.
The following information was obtained from "The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life," by Melisser Elliot.
Did you know that animals on factory farms are confined in horrendous conditions? By the thousands, chickens, cows, pigs, and turkeys are stuck in gestation crates, cages, and windowless sheds, never to see the outside world or feel the sun on their backs.
- Ninety-five percent of the animals killed every year are chickens. Hens used for eggs are held in battery cages, with five to eight birds crammed into cages that are just 14 square inches. Due to stress-related aggression, chicks are de-beaked with a burning hot blade, and no painkillers. To keep production levels up, hens live in constant light. Male chicks are worthless to the egg industry, and millions of them are killed every year by being tossed into trash bags to suffocate, or they're thrown into high-speed grinders while they are still alive.
- Broiler chickens -- the ones raised for their flesh -- are drugged and bred to grow large so quickly that their legs and organs can't keep up, making heart attacks, organ failure, and crippling leg deformities common. When they are only six or seven weeks old, they are crammed into cages and trucked to slaughter. At the slaughterhouse, their legs are snapped into shackles, their throats are cut, and they are immersed in scalding hot water to remove their feathers. Because they have no federal legal protection (birds are exempt from the Humane Methods Slaughter Act), most are sill conscious when their throats are cut open, and many are literally scalded to death in the feather-removal tanks after missing the throat cutter.
- In the United States, more than 41 million cows suffer and die for the meat and dairy industries every year. Cattle raised for beef are usually born in one state, fattened in another, and slaughtered in yet another. Many cows die on the way to slaughter, and those who survive are shot in the head with a bolt gun, hung up by their legs, and taken onto the killing floor, where their throats are cut and they are skinned. Some cows remain fully conscious throughout the entire process; according to one slaughterhouse worker, in an interview with The Washington Post, "they die piece by piece."
- Cows raised for their milk are repeatedly impregnated using artificial insemination. Calves are generally taken from their mothers within a day of being born. The males are destined for the veal crates, and the females are sentenced to the same fate as their mothers. Mother cows on dairy farms can often be seen searching and calling for their calves long after they have been separated. After their calves are taken from them, mother cows are hooked up, several times a day, to machines that take the milk intended for their babies. Using genetic manipulation, powerful hormones, and intensive milking, cows are forced to produce about ten times as much milk as they naturally would. They are pumped full of bovine growth hormone, which contributes to a painful inflammation of the udder known as mastitis. A cow's natural life span is twenty-five years, although cows used by the dairy industry are killed after only four or five years. Dairy cows are turned into soup, companion animal food, or low-grade hamburger meat because their bodies are too "spent" to be used for anything else.
- Male calves are considered a by-product of the dairy industry and are generally take from their mothers when they are less than one day old. The calves are then put into dark, tiny crates where they are kept almost completely immobilized so that their flesh stays tender. The calves are fed a liquid diet that is low in iron and has little nutritive value in order to make their flesh white. This makes the calves ill, and they frequently suffer from anemia, diarrhea, and pneumonia. Frightened, sick, and alone, these calves are killed after only a few months of life to make veal.
- Pigs are considered smarter than a three-year old child, and yet, as piglets, they are taken away from their mothers when they are less than one month old. They tails are removed, some of their teeth are cut off, and they are castrated without any pain relief. They spend their entire lives in overcrowded pens on a tiny slab of filthy concrete. Breeding sows spend their entire lives in gestation crates where they can't even turn around. The pigs give birth and then are forcibly impregnated in a cycle that continues for years until their bodies can no longer produce and they are killed. When sent to slaughter, pigs are forced onto transport trucks that travel for many miles though all weather extremes; many die of heat exhaustion in the summer, or arrive frozen to the inside of the truck in winter. Additionally, many are still fully conscious when they are immersed in scalding water for hair removal.
- Fish farming has become a billion-dollar industry, and more than 30 percent of all the sea animals consumed each year are now raised on these "farms." Aqua farms can be based on land or in the ocean. Land-based farms raise thousands of fish in ponds, pools, or concrete tanks. Ocean-based aqua farms are situated close to shorelines, and fish in these farms are packed into net or mesh cages. All fish farms are rife with pollution, disease, and suffering, regardless of their location. These farmed fish will spend their entire lives crammed together, constantly bumping against each other and the sides of their grossly overcrowded cage. Conditions on some farms are so horrendous that 40 percent of the fish may die before farmers can kill and package them for food.
- Turkeys make up 4 percent of the birds killed each year. They are killed when they are only five or six months old, and the 300 million turkeys raised and killed for flesh every year in the United States have no federal legal protection. Thousands of turkeys are crammed into filthy sheds after their beaks and toes are burned off with a hot blade, and no pain killers. Many suffer heart failure or debilitating lag pain, often becoming crippled under the weight of their genetically manipulated and drugged bodies. When the time comes for slaughter, they are thrown into transport trucks, and when they arrive at the slaughterhouse, their throats are cut and their feathers burned off -- often while they are still fully conscious.
- Ducks and geese raised for their flesh spend their entire lives crammed in dirty, dark sheds where they suffer from injury and disease and are deprived of everything that is natural to them. Ducks and geese raised for foie gras endure the pain of having a pipe shoved down their throats three times daily so that two pounds of grain can be pumped into their stomachs to produced the diseased "fatty liver" that some diners consider a delicacy.
- Shortly after birth, lambs are subjected to two painful mutilations: castration and tail docking. About four million newborn lambs, roughly one in five, die every year with a few days of birth, mostly from disease, exposure, or malnutrition. Current European Union rules allow sheep to travel for fourteen hours without water or a rest stop. They must have a rest period of one hour after a fourteen-hour journey, after which they may be transported for a further fourteen hours.
- Rabbits aren't as common at the factory farm, but there have been experiments in battery systems similar to those of hens. Young rabbits have a high death rate. Female rabbits (called "does") are considered disposable. When a doe can't have seven litters a year anymore, she is slaughtered.
- Zoo animals are kept in enclosures that don't allow them to live their lives in a natural way. No matter how nice zoos try to make the enclosures, they don't compare with the ideal natural habitat. Zoo animals have to spend day after day in the same enclosure, making their lives very monotonous. Additionally, certain kinds of animals in zoos or circuses develop behavioral disorders and stereotypical behavior, such as chimps tearing out their own fur as well as that of their young; parrots and swans that are more interested in their keepers than their own kind; giraffes and camels licking a particular spot on the fence; emus and ostriches pacing along the edge of their enclosure; predators circling their cages; and, finally, elephants rhythmically moving their heads from side to side.
- Circus animals are often trained using physical tactics and intimidation. Activists have obtained footage of animals being beaten with hooks, whips, and chains, being poked and prodded and even burned to force them into submission. Elephants are often kept in chains for as long as twenty-three hours a day, from the time they are babies.
- It takes eighteen red foxes to make one fox-fur coat, and fifty-five minks to make one mink coat. So as not to damage their fur, foxes, raccoons, minks, coyotes, bobcats, lynxes, opossums, beavers, muskrats, otters, and many other fur-bearing animals are killed daily on fur farms by anal and vaginal electrocution, and in the wild by drowning, trapping, or beating.
- As many as 115 million animals are experimented on and killed in laboratories in the United States every year. Most of the experimentation -- including pumping chemicals into rats' stomachs, hacking muscle tissue from dogs' thighs, and putting baby monkeys in isolation chambers far from their mothers -- is paid for by American taxpayers and consumers. Rodents are not protected under the Animal Welfare Act, which mean that the law does not require any accounting for the large number of rats used. As a result, there is no way to know conclusively just how many millions suffer and die each year in publicly funded research. Animal experimentation is a multi-billion dollar industry fueled by massive public funding and involving a complex web of corporate, government, and university laboratories, cage and food manufacturers, and animal breeders, dealers, and transporters.
And folks, these are just some of the appalling facts. We implore you to make decision today to go vegan. It is the number one thing you can do to help ease the unimaginable, global pain and suffering.