Below is an article by my best friend and colleague, Dr Kim Bloomer; written about all animals and our need to take responsibility for their proper care and be the change!
Come to the Edge Part 1: The Scenario
By Kim Bloomer, VND
©Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved and may not be reprinted without express written permission.
“Come to the edge, he said. They said: We are afraid. Come to the edge, he said. They came. He pushed them and they flew.” -Guillaume Apollinaire
I’m going to take you on this long journey with me and my hope is that by leaving you with questions you’ll look within to find the answers.
Recently I was sent a link to a video that was recorded undercover by a group that is known for doing undercover videos for the intent of exposing animal cruelty and abuse. I hesitated to watch it because I knew it would be something horrendous for an animal lover like me to watch, so I saved it for the time just before I was closing down my work for the day. Not a good idea. I cannot tell you how devastated and terribly upset it made me. However, it was also the catalyst for this article series. Yes, I obviously needed to watch the video. Someone has to be a voice for those who cannot express their voices. But next time something like this comes in, I will not watch it at the end of the day so that it haunts me through the night.
I am not supplying the link to that video here because I’m sure many who are reading this article have more than likely already seen that video, especially since it’s been all over the mainstream news. And interestingly enough the video is not the real focus of this article. It’s more a question: What are we really doing? Are we really aware of what is REALLY going on with regard to animals?
Before I digress let me just share the video in words. In one word: abhorrent. In a phrase: complete disregard for sanctity of life. This video was taken inside of a factory dairy farm. These dairy cows are used their entire lives for milk and then for food themselves when their milk supply is no longer up to the demand. Let me first say before I go on that I am not opposed to using animals for food. Yes I am an animal lover but I also believe it is okay for us to consume animals for food but in gratitude to them for their unwilling sacrifice that can only be honored with the humane, natural care of these animals. As a veterinarian friend Dr. Myrna Milani, said “there are consequences to what we do to animals”. Yes, there are, indeed. Juliette de Bairacli Levy states in her book, The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable that she teaches natural care of animals (according to their species needs) and shuns their treatment as machines forcing the “unnatural” on our domestic animals which brings them much pain, fear, and misery but could all be avoided by their proper, humane, natural care.
Whether animals are our companions, or utilized for food, or for entertainment, or whatever it may be we MUST care for them kindly, humanely, in gratitude to them, and as naturally as possible or there will be and are consequences to our actions. Many animals are highly intelligent and deserve to be respected as the living beings that they are; our problem is that we are wrapped up in our closed little worlds therefore we do not achieve the understanding necessary to work with or live with animals in our personal worlds.
In this video I watched as a downed cow (one that no longer can stand up because of a sick and weakened state) was being repeatedly - and I mean one right after the other – prodded with an electric cattle prod. She was screaming, and also frothing at the mouth in agony. It was obvious she was in agony and also very sick. But the worker continued to prod her. Then seeing that this wasn’t going to work he went and got a forklift to force UNDERNEATH her to lift her and carry her to slaughter. Now imagine this cow is already sick and in agonizing pain. She was repeatedly electrocuted. Then they ice the cake by shoving a painful piece of metal up underneath her. How she lived through all of that is beyond my comprehension. But no matter what, she did not deserve that kind of treatment even if the plan was to use her for human consumption. No animal no matter what deserves that kind of treatment. Never. Ever.
Read the Entire Article >>>> Here
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1 comment:
I've always believed that we as humans are so "me, me, me" oriented. Everything is about me. The world revolves around me. I want this for me. I can't tell you how many phone calls and emails I receive from bird owners who complain about their screaming birds. And when I dig deeper to figure out the root of the problem in order to help correct it, I always find it is the bird owner at fault. The bird owner is the one that needs the training.
We are all like small children who just received a new toy for Christmas. We play and play and play with the new toy and then push it aside to sit in the corner while we whine for the next very cool toy. Many bird owners are children at Christmas who purchased a bird on a whim because of their beauty, ability to talk, cuddliness, and any number of other reasons. The novelty wears off and the bird sits on his/her own. The bird does not understand why they have been forgotten. They view their favorite human as their 'mate.' So why has their mate abandoned them? The bird's love has not changed for their human mate, but we don't see it and those of us who do just simply don't care. The adorable bird that we once loved has become a burden because we cannot go to a movie after work because the bird is looking at us with sad, longing eyes to be with us. So rather than find a way to make things work, we don't want the guilt and we don't want to think about the hurt we are bringing to this innocent creature of God by dismissing it....so we find a new home for it. Isn't it easier to find it a new home than to figure out a solution to make everyone happy including the bird?
When I receive applications to adopt a bird, I get so many comments such as "I want a bird that I can cuddle", "I want a bird that I can carry on a conversation with," "I want a bird that can dance," and other nonsense statements such as these. It's all about what WE want, not about what the bird wants or needs.
Me, me, me, me, me. Many years ago, when I first got out of college, a friend of a friend of a friend used to always sing what I named "The Me Song." It was a running joke for years. But don't all of us sing that song to one degree or another.
Another memory that the article brought forth in my mind is a plaque that I received from my previous church on the last day we attended before moving to our new location in Schererville, Indiana. The plaque reads "Be The Cause of Wonderful Things." It only takes one person to make a difference. Yes, that person that we see everyday in the mirror.
Kim's article is "the simple truth" whether we like it or not. Everyone has his own views of what things should be like. No other views count or mean anything. Everyone has his/her own agenda, and those who disagree with it are just misinformed. I can't agree with Kim's words more!
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