Thought for the Day
Charles Darwin died in 1882 and his theory of Evolution was roundly condemned by many churchmen during his lifetime. But one of its moral implications is only now being realized. If man is biologically related to other animals, then it seems to me that we should also be morally related. Since Darwin, the alleged gap between man and the rest of creation can no longer be accepted for giving to man privileges and rights which are entirely withheld from the other sentient species. We are all animals and we are all cousins.
Richard D. Ryder (b. 1940), author, Victims of Science and Animal Revolution
Thought for the Day
I am proud to have earned a perfect score on the Humane Society’s scorecard in the 108th and 109th Congresses. I am also pleased to be a co-sponsor of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, and the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act. In the 108th and 109th Congresses, I spearheaded efforts to study the effects of certain antibiotics in animal feeds and to prohibit the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from buying chickens for the federal school lunch
program that have been injected with cipro-like antibiotics called fluoroquinolones. I have also called for decisions about where CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) can be located to be made at the local community level. In addition, I have proposed a comprehensive plan to address global warming by reducing global warming pollution by 80% below 1990 levels by mid-century. Our nation and the world’s habitat will be severely impacted unless we take steps to address this planetary emergency.
Thought for the Day
A study by the University of Exeter has highlighted the problems of reintroducing animals to the wild for conservation projects. Published online in the journal Biological Conservation, the research highlights the low survival rates of captive carnivores that are released into their natural habitats. On average only one in three captive-born carnivores survives in the wild, with most deaths related to human activities.
Recent high-profile conservation projects have involved reintroducing wolves into the Scottish Highlands, bringing red kites back to England and reintroducing golden lion tamarins to Brazil. Most of these animals were born in captivity, with zoos playing a major role in such projects, while other schemes involve moving wild animals to new areas.
This study reviewed 45 case studies, involving 17 carnivore species, and found that only 30% of captive animals released survived. Over half the deaths were caused by humans in incidents such as shootings and car accidents. The animals were also more susceptible to starvation and disease than their wild counterparts and less able to form successful social groups.
“Captive carnivores not up to wild living” extracted from a news release published by the University of Exeter.
Beached dolphin guided out to sea
A dolphin that was washed ashore in Dorset tangled in fishing rope has been rescued by a sailor who swam with the creature to guide it back out to sea. The dolphin, which was struggling to breathe, was found beached in Swanage Bay by local residents on Sunday. Coastguards cut the rope from its tail before Mike Cemm, a member of the nearby sailing club, got into the water in a wet suit to help the animal. Mr Cemm swam with the creature into the bay to guide it back into deeper water. He had just returned from a sailing trip. “At first it was gasping for breath,” he said. “I think it was very tired, the rope had just been cut away from its tail by the Coastguard.” Mr Cemm tried three times to coax the dolphin into swimming out to deeper water. “The first time it circled round on its side for about five minutes, like when a fish goes out of water,” he said. “The second time it did the same but for longer.” On the third attempt Mr Cemm swam with the creature until he was out of his depth. “Its tail was flexing much more and it seemed to have got its breath back,” he said. “Its fin was upright and it looked like it was going to be alright,” he added. He said the dolphin seemed to have scrapes and abrasion wounds from the rope. The RSPCA and the Durlston Marine Project were consulted throughout the rescue, which took about half an hour. Three Coastguards vans attended when a crowd of about 200 people gathered to watch. The dolphin was last seen swimming towards Old Harry Rocks.
Thought for the Day
More sickening news from the food industry: supermarkets are backing a campaign to get us to eat home-reared veal. Otherwise, we’re just wasting the leftovers from the milk production industry – the bull calves. They’ll be killed anyway, or sent abroad to grow into beef, so why not eat them? Why not, indeed, if you must. But why not let them grow up here, rather than abroad? Why export them so that some foreign Johnny can make money from them, when our own farmers could be profiting instead? Anthony Gibson, director of communications for the National Farmers’ Union, thinks that that would make more sense. So do I, even though I am a sensitive vegetarian, but what has sense got to do with the meat industry? It’s been raving mad for decades.
We send our meat there, they send their meat here, we still transport calves in cramped conditions, although we know we shouldn’t. We don’t give a toss – whatever we want, we must have. We kill and dump our animals and import theirs; we throw ours away because the flesh isn’t white enough, or pink enough, or soft enough. And I thought we were meant to be cutting down on air miles, eating local and home-grown produce. We hardly eat mutton any more – it’s too tough, we can’t be fagged to stew anything. We haven’t really got the space or the crops to feed all the animals we’re breeding and throwing away, but it makes no difference. We carry on, same as usual, bugger the consequences.
We’ll try more or less anything: kangaroo, ostrich, monkey’s brains, dog, horse, foie gras, larks. And it’s all got to be cheap, so the rich and the poor can all have as much as they want, and no one who can afford organic or humanely reared food may criticise nasty production methods, because they are privileged snotters who have no right to tell the poor what to do. So on we go, gorging on anything that moves and takes our fancy, growing the billions of acres of crops to feed the millions of animals that we don’t even need to eat.
“Now we’re to eat more veal – as well as everything else that moves. I’m sick of this raving mad meat industry” by Michele Hanson.
