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Animals' Last Moments Captured on Film

Written by PETA

Posted 07-01-2010

103 Comments

As a writer, I've never really liked the adage "a picture is worth a thousand words." But even I had to admit its truth after looking at these jaw-dropping images of animals' last moments inside slaughterhouses. The photos are the work of Italian photographer Tommaso Ausili and are part of a series titled "The Hidden Death," for which Ausili won the prestigious L'Iris D'Or/Sony World Photography Awards Photographer of the Year award. The series explores the fact that "Neatly packaged meat in supermarkets is often completely detached in consumers' minds from the process of its production." I could say more, but the photos are so powerful that I will give my keyboard a rest and let the images speak for themselves.

©Tommaso Ausili/contrasto

©Tommaso Ausili/contrasto

©Tommaso Ausili/contrasto

Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post

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Tags:

vegan, vegetarian, slaughter, Asia-Pacific, turtle, Frank Strick, Arnold Ziffel, Internet Soup, payback, Justin Bieber, Beijing, The Hidden Death, Tommaso Ausili, L'Iris D'Or/Sony World Photography Awards Photographer of the Year

Recent Comments

Raphael Echeverria commented:

8-29-2010 10:33 PM

I do have an email about "Corrida de Toros" I like to let the hole world look at it. That's the crueless thing to do in this cevilizacion how pepol can do that for a money a did cry when I was clsing the email.
Lynn Nelson commented:

8-19-2010 7:45 PM

Look people It really doesn't matter is 'these' particular pics are real or not. The TRUTH is any type of slaughterhouse is a true 'house of horrors'. All animals are creatures of earth who deserve to be free from any type of torment by other creatures of earth. I've been a vegan for over 20 yrs and it's so much easier than most people think. If u really believe in 'live and let live' going vegan is quite simple. Animals have been tormented by the human race for way to long. If u can't look into your own 'pets' eyes and slaughter it for its' flesh u should eat any flesh at all.
CommonSense commented:

7-25-2010 5:04 PM

We must stop animals eating animals too...we must all eat subsidized corn and soy because growing acres and acres of crops doesn't have any impact on our world.
christiane commented:

7-23-2010 3:44 PM

I am ashamed of my race where money is more important than anyones life. Sad
Celestine commented:

7-19-2010 7:17 PM

This series reminds me of my childhood I grew up next to a slaughterhouse that looked eerily similar to the one in the photos. The smell the flies the sounds are the stuff of nightmares and I wish every meateater would experience that once. Do I have to mention that I'm vegan?! I would also like to remind people that this is the kind of slaughterhouse 'humanely raised' animals end up in it's smallscale. So no matter if animals come from a factory farm in Iowa or a cute little place in upstate NY this is how they all end. Killing is killing there is no humane slaughter. It's also where the 'spent' dairy animals go so forget about goat cheese and 'artisan' cheese...the skinny cow in the series is most likely a spent dairy cow. As for Sam the selfproclaimed slaughterhouse and photography 'expert' this series is not staged and it shows the real process. I should know because I lived thru it and I work in commercial photography. These are not 'props' and it's not fake blood. So please get real and don't spread lies. And for all my fellow vegans don't dispair we are their only voice. We cannot be silent and I'm glad the photographer had the guts to show what most meateaters don't want to face the truth.
karma walrus commented:

7-18-2010 5:04 PM

the human race is nothing but greedy folk and selfish uncompassionate psychopaths. another thing that's not art just a disgusting display of anthropocentric cruelty barbaric intolerance and consumeristzombie apathy.
Emily Fox commented:

7-14-2010 1:13 PM

When i look at the three lambs staring at past friends i hear there whimper i hear them cry and ask what they did wrong why is this happening to me. And when i think of the man holding the cows head i see a smirk i feel the cows pain of going through with his death and i see his life flash before my own eyes.and lastly when i see the pig i look in his eyes and i see tears and i cry myself i see him look at his friend and wish he were back being a piglet so he could run away before this all happened and i see him cringe in pain as he sees another one like him cruely murdered. I am ashamed that anyone could do this. I cant come to call myself a human because i am not if humans are so cruel for what a dinner or lunch? how would you like to grow up and the day you were born taken from your mother and after years on a cement floor maybe giving milk or having your wool stolen or someone being forced on your back to be thrown in an over crowded trailer to be starved for days to be blinded by light then dragged to our death. what di this animal do to deserve this? i ask you what did he do to you that you murder him so barbariclly and why no how could you do this to anything if you say humans are smarter than animalsyou are wrong they have many more stronger senses and they feel fear stronger than human and if this is what human does i am not human i am animal and i would rather be skinned alive or watch my friends die the same way then to ever be called the same as one of those people.
Saucy commented:

7-14-2010 12:29 PM

Lisa .................and "Silence of the Lambs" was a comedy by MICKEY MOUSE........... Kind regards???????????????
Ellen commented:

7-13-2010 12:43 PM

To Reverend Meg. Yes these are somewhat staged. This however looks like a somewhat benevolent slaughter facility. You are correct this does not look like a regular slaughter house. Most large scale slaughter facilities run the lines so quickly that the animals aren't stunned before being hoisted by a leg and sent down the kill line. They are kicking and screamming. Sometimes they fall into the pit where they are beaten and have eyes poked out. Sometimes they are kicking so hard that they injure the "sticker" who cuts their jugular so they can slowly bleed out suffocating. Yes these photos were artistically shot. The reality is far too vile for most to see. Being from Kansas City I have see slaughter and stock yards. It's worse than hell on earth.
Shar G commented:

7-11-2010 5:29 PM

These violent psychopathic humans judge animals to share the same lack of feelings as they do! These violent psychopaths seek jobs which satisfy their bloodlust! Slaughterhouses fur farms vivisection labs are all places where they can indulge their sickest fantasies whilst avoiding prosecution! DAMN THEM ALL TO HELL!!!!

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