The Animal Kingdom
“Not to hurt our humble brethren the animals is our first duty to them – but to stop there is not enough: we have a higher duty – to be of service to them whenever they require it.”
~ St. Francis of Assisi
Animals offer companionship, affection and protection to humans. Indeed, some call them their best friend. They offer unconditional support in their roles as rehabilitation partners, (think seeing eye dogs); they assist us with our work loads, (think horses, oxen farm animals); they feed us with their milk and eggs and they give their life to us in the form of their flesh for our nourishment. We have dominion over animals. They are entrusted with our care. And, they have continued to serve us from companion to food source.
How will we honor and care for our animals? What protections will we provide them? Will we create a collective vision for how animals will be treated? Our collective vision and agreement is needed in order to change the paradigm regarding animal welfare.
In England, they have one such framework.
It is called The Five Freedoms.
The Five Freedoms were first proposed in Britain in the 1960′s. The Farm Animal Welfare Council, established by the British government in the late 1970′s to advise it on legislative and other changes for farm animals, subsequently affirmed them.
Animals in Entertainment
Elephant Man
In one of the most powerful scenes in the movie, John Hurt who played the part of Joseph Carey Merrick, pleads with onlookers, “I am not an animal, I am a man….” It begs the question, should any sentient being be treated in such a manner?
PETA–People For Ethical Treatment of Animals:
“Animals are not ours for entertainment”..in our zoos, marine parks, circuses, fighting animal, horse races etc. “Animals who would normally spend their entire lives with their close-knit families are sentenced to an eternity of boredom, crippling loneliness—and even sheer terror.”
Changing paradigms in the treatment of animals
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San Diego Safari Park, San Diego, California
A movement away from the traditional zoo.
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Wildlife Parks and Zoos that emphasis natural habitat and freedom for animals.
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Family friendly Alternatives
Here are a few ideas from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals):
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Hope for Animals, Beyond Zoos and What You Can Do
Elephant Sanctuary
“The Elephant Sanctuary is operated as a true sanctuary, and therefore is not open to the general public. Our elephants have lived their entire lives on exhibit, entertaining the public. Our goal is to create an environment where the elephants are not disturbed by human activity. The Elephant Sanctuary exists for two reasons: to provide a haven for old, sick or needy elephants in a setting of green pastures, old-growth forests, spring-fed ponds and a heated barn for cold winter nights; and to provide education about the crisis facing these social, complex, and exceedingly intelligent animals. Our Elecam is a non-invasive, respectful way to view elephants living in their natural habitat at The Sanctuary. From your computer you can watch as the elephants go about their day, grazing, foraging, swimming, even napping. The Elecam is a free online feature available seven days a week, year round.”
PAWS: Performing Animal Welfare Society
Started in 1984 as the dream of co-founders Ed Stewart and the late Pat Derby, PAWS has become a vital and thriving organization. PAWS established the very first U.S. elephant sanctuary, and today we successfully operate the largest captive wildlife sanctuary in the U.S., home to rescued and retired animals. We value advocacy as a means of putting an end to the exploitation and suffering of captive wildlife, and we have made many advances, including introducing and passing laws that better protect the health and welfare of captive wildlife used for entertainment and as exotic pets.
Rewilding Europe
Rewilding Europe aims to rewild one million hectares of land by 2020, creating 10 magnificent wildlife and wilderness areas of international quality and wants to make Europe a wilder place, with much more space for wildlife, wilderness and natural processes. .
ANIMALS AS OUR FOOD SOURCE
Are we willing to scale back on our consumption of animal products? Are there ways that we can give animals a safe, caring, healthy humane life while they are alive?
Environmental Impact of Meat Eating
According to Worldwatch Institute: “it has become apparent that the human appetite for animal flesh is a driving force behind virtually every major category of environmental damage now threatening the human future—deforestation, erosion, fresh water scarcity, air and water pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, social injustice, the destabilization of communities, and the spread of disease.”
Number of animals killed for food source
Purely Vegan, a place of connection for Vegans: A moment by moment counter: They do not include the billions of marine animals killed each year. They do not include the millions of animals killed in laboratories, fur farms, animal shelters, zoos, marine parks, or circuses. Nor do they include the animals killed by human negligence, blood sports, abuse, or extermination attempt.
ALTERNATIVES
A Well-Fed World “is a hunger relief and animal protection organization chipping away at two of the world’s most immense, unnecessary and unconscionable forms of suffering… the suffering of people from lack of food and the suffering of animals used as food. We have a positive, practical and action-led approach that produces immediate assistance for those in need and structural change for lasting results.”
Changing the Paradigm of Slaughterhouses
Temple Gandin- “we’ve got to be good stewards. I believe that animals used for food must have a decent life, a life worth living.” Curved chute and race systems she has designed for cattle are used worldwide and her writings on the flight zone and other principles of grazing animal behavior have helped many people to reduce stress on their animals during handling.
Polyface Farm
“Joel created a rotational grazing system that not only allows the land to heal but also allows the animals to behave the way the were meant to — as in expressing their “chicken-ness” or “pig-ness”. “I am a care taker of Creation”
Vegetarianism Statistics
Numbers of Vegetarians
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ANIMALS
Jane Goodall
ORGANIZATIONS
International Primate Protection League
IPPL is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the world’s remaining primates, great and small. Since 1973, we have worked to expose primate abuse and battled international traffickers. We also operate a sanctuary for gibbons (the smallest of the apes) in South Carolina and support primate rescue efforts worldwide, especially in countries where primates are native.
IPPL
….is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the world’s remaining primates, great and small.Since 1973, we have worked to expose primate abuse and battled international traffickers. We also operate a sanctuary for gibbons (the smallest of the apes) in South Carolina and support primate rescue efforts worldwide, especially in countries where primates are native.
The Born Free Foundation
The Born Free Foundation is a dynamic international wildlife charity, devoted to compassionate conservation and animal welfare. Born Free takes action worldwide to protect threatened species and stop individual animal suffering. Born Free believes wildlife belongs in the wild and works to phase out zoos. We rescue animals from lives of misery in tiny cages and give them lifetime care.
Earth Island Institute
Earth Island Institute is a non-profit, public interest, membership organization that supports people who are creating solutions to protect our shared planet.
“The greatest threat to people is ignorance”.
” The greatest threat to animals is ignorant people.“
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“As humans, we are the height of all sentient life forms; therefore, we are spiritually bound to develop an awareness of other sentient beings and stop harming them through strong negative feelings and actions. To not do so means we will de-evolve.”
Master Maticitin
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