The Animals Page                                                                                   

Us and the Animals: the thinking behind the song.

From the cruelty that's meted out on such a vast scale worldwide in the intensive farming and often inhumane slaughtering 
of our domestic animals, vivisection, the fur trade, trapping, deforestation, force-feeding, fishing, hunting, whaling, and generally our mindless mistreatment and enslavement of our fellow creatures, it's apparent that we as a species
have a lot to answer for, and a job to do in putting it right.
 
Many examples of the cruelty being perpetrated at such a staggering rate on this planet include what goes on in
 slaughterhouses, and this is an area where there's vast room for improvement, and more stringent control.
 
It's a well known fact that up to a quarter of the pigs: animals that given half a chance make great pets and are at 
least as intelligent as dogs & cats, aren't properly stunned at all before being cruelly slaughtered. This is often 
done in full view of the others as they await their turn in abject terror. The lucky ones die of shock.

  The horrors of the inquisition would be hard pressed to match such scenarios and in the case of pigs, all this having suffered teeth extraction, tail removal and castration without anesthetic while only a few weeks old (a fitting welcome 
to the world of man), having led a miserable life in overcrowded, stinking conditions with only cold concrete to sleep 
on, never experiencing a kind word or gesture, and finally crammed in the back of a truck for days at a time 
in transportation, crazy with hunger and thirst and often in extreme weather conditions,
to the nightmare of the slaughterhouse. 
,  
This is nothing other than callous barbarity, and again we as a species let ourselves down very badly in this whole 
area. Far from being cocky, proud and self-assured, we should simply be ashamed of ourselves.

That long time 'man's best friend' the horse, is now largely farmed for meat and suffers a similar cruel death in the slaughterhouse. Then there's the monstrous practice of force-feeding where those unfortunate geese and ducks
 suffer a lifetime of cruelty to put foie gras pate on people's tables. Products like this should be boycotted 
and those involved should be brought to justice.  Cruelty to animals is, after all, illegal.
 
They're even offering pleasure cruises to certain Arctic regions where the highlight of your holiday is to go out on the ice
  and club as many baby seals to death as you can find. You're 'guaranteed at least one kill'. Who ARE these people?

I see that fur products are again coming into fashion. This is a most unfortunate development as the trade is particularly nasty with its astonishing array of criminal acts including cruel trapping, holding animals in terrible conditions, anal electrocution and the unbelievably barbaric practice of actually skinning them alive. This is happening on certain Chinese fur farms,  
and has been recently brought to the public's attention by PETA and Animals' Voice among others. The video evidence 
is disgusting and disturbing, and those responsible are not only a disgrace to the honorable Chinese people, but a 
disgrace to the human race. Their government must realise that the eyes of the world are watching and this 
sort of thing is doing their reputation untold damage. They really must put an end to it immediately.

Folks, please think twice before buying fur products. Synthetic fur is reasonably priced, looks just great and you can 
wear it without suffering negative feedback or a guilty conscience.
   
Worldwide, animals are slaughtered for human consumption at the astounding rate of thousands every second, often
 inhumanely. When you think of this sea of negativity and bad karma that we bring into the picture, it's no wonder 
that so much war and misery comes back on us. All this fear and suffering just to put animal products on our 
backs and on our dinner tables. Do you think that's fair? I certainly don't, and the fact is that we have a 
responsibility towards these creatures if we're going to drag them into this world in the first place. 
For graphic proof of what's happening out there check out the PETA videos or Multimedia  
at Animals' Voice but be warned: it's not pretty. 
       
    What can you do about it? Well, let's not forget - with the exception of those in the farming and meat industries who
 treat their animals properly - that we're up against a great number of ruthless and indifferent people whose only
 concern is profit and who will change their methods only when it's legally required of them. The best course of 
action is to join an animals' rights group in your area. They will know exactly what's happening. Contact the 
police and/or your local politician if you hear of the mistreatment of animals. Simply talk about what's 
going on with your friends and social contacts. If you get the chance, make your voice heard on radio 
& TV phone-ins. If you choose to eat meat then try to only use products that come 
with a cruelty-free stamp or guarantee.

 The least we can do if we're going to farm and slaughter animals (if indeed we need to eat meat in the first place), is to 
give them a half-decent life and humane death. This shameful backdrop of unspeakable cruelty and suffering really 
must change if we are to take any justifiable pride or dignity in ourselves or in our culture and achievements. 
After all, what can it ultimately amount to if built on a foundation of slavery and injustice? We're not a 
race of monsters and it's a tiny minority who are responsible for this on-going crime.  Unfortunately
 however, that's exactly how we must seem through those helpless, bewildered eyes.

Please click here for the  Us and the Animals  songpage (mp3 & lyrics)

Visit the award-winning Animals' Voice website HERE

You're in good company if you feel compassionate towards animals. For quotes  from people like Shelly, Da Vinci, 
Einstein, Shaw, Tolstoy, Kant, Blake and others go to Animals' Voice Online
   Anthology  Compassion  Poetry & Prose or Essays

For Info on cruelty-free products visit:  Animals' voice: cruelty-free