The Animals Page                                                                                   

'Us and the Animals' - the thinking behind the song.
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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, 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 that's 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. That long time "man's best friend" the horse, is now largely farmed for meat and suffers a similar cruel death in the slaughterhouse. Alternatively, picture yourself as a victim of force feeding like those unfortunate geese and ducks that suffer a lifetime of torture to put foie gras pate on people's tables, the equivalent of a four-course meal rammed down their throats every few hours. Products such as this should be 
boycotted worldwide, and those involved should be brought to justice. 

Cruelty to animals is, after all, illegal.

  The horrors of the inquisition would be hard pressed to match such scenarios, and in the case of pigs all this after 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 - starving 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 badly in this whole 
area. Far from being cocky, proud and self-assured, we should simply be ashamed of ourselves.

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?

One sees 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 heinous practices including cruel trapping, holding animals in terrible conditions, and anal electrocution. People, please think twice before buying fur products. Synthetic fur is reasonably priced, looks and feels just as good, 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 all this 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)



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Einstein, Shaw, Tolstoy, Kant, Blake and others go to Animals' Voice Online
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