If you wouldn’t brand a cat or cut off a dog’s legs, you should also think about putting down the hamburger for World Week for Abolition of Meat.
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| Razvan Antonescu/cc by 2.0 |
Cows have personalities as distinct as those of cats, dogs, and humans. They develop social circles, form friendships, and even hold grudges. They grieve the loss of loved ones and shed tears, especially mother cows whose calves are taken away within hours or days of birth.
Like all living beings, cows value their lives and don’t want to die. Cows have been known to go to extraordinary measures to escape slaughter, including jumping off of a ship and swimming to shore and leaping a 5-foot-tall gate. At the slaughterhouse, they hear their friends bellow as they are jabbed with electric prods and hear them cry out as their throats are cut. A slaughterhouse worker told The Washington Post that cows are often still conscious when their legs are cut off. “They blink. They make noises. The head moves, the eyes are wide and looking around. … They die piece by piece.
Please take a moment to think about what your money pays for when you purchase animal flesh.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
