posted by Michel on Aug 4

Lately, there’s been a lot of upheaval amongst animal welfare supporters around the world. What happened was that an appalling video has surfaced, showing the gassing of innocent “stray” dogs by means of exhaust fumes. In the Philippines, known as “tambucho gassing” (tambucho means exhaust in Tagalog).

To make matters worse, this incredibly crude and painful method is approved by the Philippines’ Committee on Animal Welfare (CAW) under the country’s Animal Welfare Act of 1998 (RA 8485). Which makes one wonder what sort of people and organisations sit in this committee!!!

I won’t post links to the video evidence or the pictures here, but very clearly, this is totally unacceptable. Fortunately, a movement has started to combat these outrageous killings. You can lend a hand simply by signing the petition. And don’t worry, in my own experience, this site doest NOT inundate your inbox with spam, so it’s completely safe. Here’s the link: Tambucho gassing is not euthanasia

Of course, we all realise that the stray dog and cat populations need to be regulated. However, ruthless killing is NOT the way. The so-called Trap / Neuter / Return (TNR) scheme is! A lot of research has gone into this and time and again it has been shown that TNR works effectively and humanely.

If this gassing, and let’s not forget, other inhumane methods of killing animals for whatever purpose is allowed to continue, we should all be ashamed of being part of this species. If you want my opinion, we’re messing up our stewardship of our own planet. Should you be religiously inclined and believe that God himself put us in charge, then I feel that he could not have made a worse choice

posted by Michel on Apr 25

Recently, I read a magnificent book, “The emotional lives of animals” by Marc Bekoff, who is Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, USA and a well respected author of a number of books. The book was given to me by a dear friend and fellow animal lover, who during the course of her studies caused me to think more on the concept of antropomorphism, which literally means “of human form” according to Wikipedia. Traditionally, you would come across this concept in fables (in which animals could speak and dress as people), but more recently it has been used to describe the apparent emotions that animals display. Dr. Jane Goodall, of international chimpansee fame, describes in the Foreword in Marc Bekoff’s book how much trouble she had when stating that a certain chimpansee was showing happiness or was obviously in a sad mood. Until then, the scientific community had been doubtful of the existence of such “human” emotions in animals and were used to describe them in very uncertain terms, e.g. “the horse appeared to behave as if it were experiencing happiness”.

From ape to man

Anybody that has ever owned a dog or cat, or indeed many other pet-species, will attest to the fact that, contrary to scientific belief, it is blatently obvious that such animals very clearly display their emotional state and, not surprisingly, that we can largely recognise these emotions for what they are. Why? because we, as mammals, have largely the same range of emotions!

As a geologist (I took a number of palaeontology courses), I’m convinced that concepts like antropomorphism are fundamentally wrong: it’s the other way around! Humans, who only entered the evolutionary spectrum some 5 million years ago and primates some 55 million years before that, share a common evolution with our fellow mammal species for gazillions of years. Hence, this leads me to believe that it is virtually impossible for us to be the “inventors” of even the more complex emotions. Rather, we possess a (super?)set of those emotions that were already well developed by our common ancestors. Such emotions developed because they gave the possessor some evolutionary edge over those that didn’t. I dubbed this idea the “genetic-evolutionary theory” Therefore, to me it is no surprise at all that animals posess the same emotional spectrum as we do, especially the species “close” to ours. If I think about it, the statistical odds that a species that occurs only very very late in evolution is the sole inventor of some evolutionary advantage is, well, probably zilch I would imagine. Recognising such emotions however appears to be an entirely different matter and that is probably why we have to devote an entire branch of science to work out the differences and similarities across species.

How about some typical “human” emotions or behaviours then, or at least those that many people would consider typical of our own species. You will find that complex emotions and behaviours are not even limited to primates. Altruism is a nice example. Not too long ago a video clip turned up in which a Chilean stray dog tried to rescue its buddy from a busy road after he or she had been hit by a car. You can see that video here. How about “culture” then? Well, National Geographic showed a wildlife series in which a certain group of elefants regularly visited a cave where they apparently were harvesting certain minerals to augment their diet. Strangely enough, other elefant herds in the region had not caught on to this habit and so it is shown that groups of individuals exhibit regional variation in their behaviour, i.e. display culture. Another example of this is a group of Japanese makaque monkeys that frequents hot springs. Apart from the fact that they obviously enjoy the warm water, their nearby neighbours completely ignore the springs. Another striking example: wildlife rangers in South Africa recorded many years ago that a babboon couple abandoned their troup and for days stalked AND killed a lioness that had killed their baby a few days before. How’s that for premeditated revenge!

So to sum up emotions and complex behaviours such as: happiness, anger, jealousy, murder, altruism, kindness, joy, grief, kidnapping, child care, fear, hunger, pain, to name only a few, it’s all been done before! In this respect, I don’t think the human species has contributed much to the emotional landscape. Apart from “religion” perhaps …

posted by Michel on Mar 30

Recently, I joined a group on Facebook entitled “Save Brindi From the City of Halifax” which is about a dog that was seized by the Halifax authorities over a year ago. He’s been on death row ever since, not even being allowed visits from his owner. What’s worse, from what I can tell he’s not even been properly evaluated by knowledgeable dog trainers to establish whether or not he is indeed as dangerous as some are making him out to be. As a result, Halifax is forking out lots of taxpayers’ money on legal proceedings and forcing the owner to do the same. The only ones that benefit from this are the lawyers, nobody else. Not the community, certainly not the dog, not the city, nobody! IMHO there were ample opportunies for more efficient and friendly ways of handling the situation, where the dog involved could have been fully rehabilitated and be returned to the care of its owner.

At the request of Maureen Hurly, one of the group’s active members, I emailed the authorities and, very nice I must add, got a reply. If you want to read the discussion. Here it is. Read the rest of this entry »

posted by Michel on Sep 4

Is there such an unthinkable thing: a counterargument to animal welfare? It would seem so. Would you believe that these people really exist, animal welfare adversaries? Unfortunately, it’s only too common to find that, as an animal welfare proponent, you get to hear or read abuse. Apparently, quite a few people still think that as a human being, you should only dedicate yourself to helping your own species. Pretty much like nothing else exists, or matters. Personally, I feel that such people are very narrow minded (I’m avoiding use of the term “ignorant” here) and I dare say that while criticising animal welfare, they do ZILCH for the human race themselves. In fact, notable activists for humans have never spoken out against those that help animals. Often, quite the contrary, such as the great Mahatma Gandhi, who said: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way that its animals are treated”.

Anyway, I’ll try and collect some of these adversaries’ points of view here and address them. So yes, these are REAL arguments that me or any of my associates have heard or read. Please help the fight against ignorance by adding to this list (just add a comment).

• Why don’t you help people? Millions are starving all over the world

As a matter of fact, most of us already do!! What I truly hate about this argument is that it suggests that you have to make a choice between people and animals. Well you don’t! You can actually help BOTH people and animals quite effectively. In fact, I strongly believe that since we’re all stuck on this lump of rock that’s hurtling through the Universe at immense speed, animals, plants (for brevity I’ll lump those together as “nature”) and ourselves need each other. Any idea how long we would survive if we’d kill all insects? As a consequence, and considering that most animal welfare proponents are kind natured, this is a nonsense argument. In case you’re wondering, we put a few kids through school, provide a regular supply of work for many families and do regular food supplement events for the less fortunate in my wife’s home village (80 families was the last count). Oh and we save a few dogs and cats as well while we’re at it.

• Why don’t you spend your time fighting eliminating violence, drug abuse, crime etc?

Again, this argument suggests that it is a choice that you have to make or at least that there is some simple and sequential relationship: stamp out all crime and suffering and then we’ll worry about the rest. We all know that this is totally besides daily practice. Furthermore, professional law enforcers and top rating politicians all over the world dedicate their time and career to solving these problems. I’m flattered that those who use this argument apparently feel that animal welfare proponents somehow know much better how to solve these problems that date back to the dawn of (human) time, but in reality, what’s the chance that we can make a significant impact? We already do what we can by practising the love and respect for all creatures, humans and animals alike, that we preach.

• Helping animals diverts funds that could be used for people

Apart from the fact that it costs so little of your time and money to see to animal’s basic needs, those who use this argument fail to see the intimate relationship that exists between all living things (animals, plants, humans). By helping animals, we’re (how selfish!) in fact helping ourselves. A few examples perhaps? At Kalibo Airport there is a colony of stray cats and the airport authorities are worried about their increasing numbers, spread of disease, nuisance to travellers etc. When we regularly feed the cats and spay/neuter them all, we can control the population, keep the animals healthy and happy and, here comes the crunch, keep the airport free from rodents, in a completely natural and environmentally safe way. By investing a little money, the airport addresses a real problem and cares for animals in the process. One-time eradication of rats is both more expensive and far less effective. Or how about this one: when we save stray dogs, we can often rehabilitate the majority of them and turn them into useful guard dogs that protect the family that they live with. Or how about the old carabao that is saved from the butcher and given to a poor farmer who can still get good service from the animal in return for  a little food. In other words, animal care doesn’t need to cost much but can bring great benefits.

• Haven’t you got more useful things to do with your time?

Again, how I spend my time is not a yes/no question. I can actually do quite a few things with my time if I want. The argument implies that animal welfare proponents are useless parasites that laze around in the sun all day and do little that contributes positively to society. Well, animal welfare proponents are present in all facets of human society. I personally know of teachers, lawyers, bakers, entrepeneurs, artists, IT consultants, you name it! Apart from their regular jobs in which they already contribute considerably to society, they contribute more by doing voluntary work. This doesn’t distract at all from their usefulness. Quite the contrary, to them animal welfare work is very fulfilling and therefore worth doing. Considering that helping fellow creatures of this Earth is by definition a good way to spend time, there’s no way in hell that these people should be criticised for doing good, especially since most of them help other people too!

• Those active in animal welfare just have too much money and are still after our donations

Are all animal welfare proponents rich? Yes, they are, although it depends on your definition of rich. Irrespective of their financial status, these people are rich because they CARE, because they take a stand for fellow creatures. Of course, some of them are even rich in the monetary sense of the word. There’s nothing principally wrong with that. I know of many top ranking business managers that are rich beyond imagination. The only problem I have with that is that the vast majority of them do NOTHING for the rest of the world, much less defenseless animals. Go moan at them. For the record, I know many people that can be considered poor (in financial terms) and still devote some of their scarce resources, like their time and kind attention, to animals …

• To God, people are more important than animals

I’d hate to turn this into a religious argument so I will refrain from quoting the Bible (or any other “holy” book for that matter). But if I remember correctly, “man” was appointed to rule the animals, in modern day language: to manage them, by God. This is pretty much the same situation as when you are appointed to be the manager of a group of people. Does that mean you are free to abuse them, beat them up, steal their things, even if that gets you closer to your targets? Of course not: you will be a responsible steward, a guardian and a coach. And when it comes to the matter of importance: how effective will you, as a manager, be after all your people have left in disgust? Therefore, both manager and workers, if I may call them that, have their place and job, but they are all essential for reaching the common goal. And so it is with the way God appointed man as the guardian of nature: it is not a matter of whether God sees us to be more important, it is our responsible stewardship that matters. That is what God expects of us.

• They are only animals or Animals have no feelings

<sigh> Some people will never learn. They fail to see that we are biologically so close to the majority of animals (most notably mammals of course) that it is IMPOSSIBLE to overlook the probabilities that our “sentiments” that we think are so typical of us humans, are unique in the animal kingdom. Joy: ever come home to a wagging tail and that happy face of your dog? Sadness: ever tried to leave a puppy home alone while it was sitting near the door? Play: ever had the dog bring a ball to you? Hunger/thirst: no need to explain I would think. Shelter: leave a dog or cat in the pelting rain and see what it does different than what YOU would do. Pain: ever seen a dog with a broken leg run away as if nothing happened? Of course not: the poor thing was in excruciating pain and limped, just as YOU would! In other words, animals do have feelings and they are pretty much the same as ours, not surprisingly!

• You guys eat meat too, right?

Ahh tricky one! Well let me confess that I do eat meat myself. But, and this is a HUGE BUT, no animal should need to suffer for providing me with dinner. Most animal welfare proponents would probably agree with me when I say that I’m not so much against the EATING of meat, but I’m dead set against the suffering of countless “food animals” such as cattle, chickens, pigs etc. There is simply no need to make them suffer. Hence, I’m a great fan of controlled production of meat, hen-friendly eggs and the like. Goverments should enforce laws on this, rather then leaving the choice to (often ignorant) consumers. To conclude, if the meat were produced under humane and responsible conditions, personally I would find that a little more acceptable. I should become a vegetarian really!

So to all ye moaners: get out there, do your bit for this planet and help out. People, plants, animals, the environment. Anything!

posted by Michel on Jul 27

In my previous post about our newly adopted friend, Jackie our Jack Russell Terrier, I hinted at a possible scenario that might have happened to him and his former family: that they were too busy with other things and there was simply no more room for the little guy. This reminded me of a VERY MOVING story that I read on a Dutch Border Collie web site. The author is unknown, but he or she is most definitely a person who understands these sort of situations. I translated the story myself so please excuse any misinterpretation or omissions, but I think you will get the message anyway. [see update below]

Better go get some hankies right now, just in case …

How could you?

When I was a puppy, I amused you with my funny games and I used to make you laugh. You called me “your baby” and despite shoes getting chewed on beyond recognition and the odd murder of a pillowcase, I became your best friend. When I was naughty you shook your finger at me and said “How could you?”, but then you gave in to my charms and rolled me on my back to scratch my belly. My pottytraining took a little longer than expected because you were very busy, but we both worked on it so hard. I remember nudging up to you with my nose at night and that I used to listen to your best kept secrets and wildest dreams and I simply couldn’t imagine a better life. We took long walks and ran through the park, took rides in your car and stopped along the way for an ice cream (I only got the biscuit because icecream is bad for dogs you used to say) and I took long naps behind the window in the sun and waited for you to come home at the end of a long day.

Gradually you spent more time on your work and your career and more time on finding a human partner. I waited for you patiently, comforted you when you were hurt or disappointed, never blamed you for making the wrong decision and joyfully jumped about the house when you returned home. And then you fell in love. She - now your wife - unfortunately was not what you might call a “dog-person”. Still, I welcomed her into our home, tried to give her affection and obeyed her. I was happy because you were.

Then the human babies arrived and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pink skin, their peculiar smell and wanted to mother them too. Only you and her were worried that I would hurt them and too often I was banished to another room, or even the bench. Ohh I longed to love them so much but instead became a prisoner of love.

As they grew up, I became their friend. They hung on to my fur as they pulled themselves up onto their tiny wobbly legs, they stuck fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears and kissed me on the nose. I loved them and I loved their touch - as yours were now so seldom - and I would have gladly sacrificed my life for them if the need ever would have arisen. I secretly hid in their beds and listened to their worries and dreams as we awaited the sound of your car on the driveway.

There was a time that, when others asked if you had a dog, you would proudly pull a photo of me from your wallet and told fascinating stories about me. Later on, you anwered simply “Yes” and changed the subject. I became “just” a dog instead of “your” dog and every penny spent on me was one too many.

Now you have a career-opportunity in another town and you and your family will move to an appartment where dogs are not allowed. You made the right decision for your family, but once there was a time when I was the only family you had. I was happy and excited about that car trip we took, until we stopped at the animal shelter. The smell was of dogs and cats, and of fear and hopeless longing for companionship. As you filled out the forms you said that you were sure that they would find me a loving home. They shrugged their shoulders and looked you in the eye. They already knew the hard truth that befalls a middle aged dog, even one with papers.

You had to tear the tiny fingers of your son from my collar while he screamed “Daddy, NO! Don’t let them take my dog!”. And I was very worried for him and about everything you were teaching him about friendship, loyalty, love and responsibility and about respect for all living creatures. As a farewall you patted me on the head one more time as you avoided my empty glare. You refused politely to take my collar and leash home as you had to meet a deadline … so did I now.

After you left, the two friendly ladies commented that you had known for months about the move and that you had done nothing to find me a good home. They shook their heads in disbelief and said “How could you?”.

Here at the shelter they give us all the care and attention they possibly can. They feed us, of course, but I haven’t been hungry for days now. At first I’d run to the gate as fast as I could, hoping it was you, that you had changed your mind. Perhaps this was just an horrific dream. Or I hoped that some compassionate soul would come to rescue me. When I finally realised that I simply couldn’t compete with those pretty puppies that were clowning around for attention but had no idea what fate was awaiting them, I retreated to the back of my cage and waited for what was to come.

I could hear her footsteps as she came to collect me at the end of the day and I quietly walked back with her to a seperate room. A strangely quiet room. She put me on the table and rubbed my ears, saying that I needn’t worry. My heart was pounding in anticipation but I also felt a certain relief. The prisoner of love had reached the end of her days. Because it is my nature, I felt sorry for the lady. I could sense her burden was heavy, just like I always used to sense the same in you. Gently she placed a rope around my front paw as a tear was rolling down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way as I had always done with you when you needed comforting, all those years ago. With great skill she put the needle in my vein. When I felt the sting and the cool liquid spreading through my body, I lay down sleepy, looked her in the eye and whispered “How could you?”.

Perhaps she understood my dog-language because she said “I am so, oh so sorry”.  She held me close and explained quietly that it was her job to make sure I would go to a far better world, where I would never be ignored, abused or left behind again. A place of light and love, so very different from this earthly existence. With the last bit of energy I had left I tried to tell her with a last wag of my tail that my “How could you?” was not directed at her. I was thinking of YOU, my sweet master. I will always think of you and wait for you alone. May everyone in your life reward you with the same loyalty …..

Original web site author’s note:

If there were tears in your eyes when reading “How could you?”, just like with me as I wrote it, it is because this story is a compilation of stories of millions of animals that are dying in shelters all over the world.

Everone is allowed to spread this story for non-commercial puposes.

Please use it to educate people, on web sites, in newsletters and on notice boards everywhere. Tell people that taking a pet into your home is an important decision, that animals deserve our love and care, that - if necessary - finding another good home for your animal is your own responsibility and that every shelter or animal welfare organisation can help and advise you, and that ALL life matters. Please do your utmost to avoid animals being killed because they are “not wanted”.

Update: I noticed that elsewhere on the Border Collie site that the story is attributed to Jim Willis who wrote it in 1999. See his site for the original version …

This will NEVER happen to our Tessa or Jackie!

posted by Michel on Jul 14

Dogs LOVE running! They run all their lives almost from the moment they’re born. To them it’s second nature and a great way to exercise and have some fun all at once. And they’re no strangers to that competitive feeling either. So why would we want to stop greyhounds doing what they do best and what they seem to enjoy?

Here’s why:

Discarded after a tough life and faithful service

Yes, you saw that right: these are discarded greyhounds! They might have broken a limb or simply became too old, so their loving owner decided to dispose of them. And these might even be considered the lucky ones since they appear to have suffered a relative quick death. Most of them aren’t that lucky. They are kicked out on the streets where starvation and disease awaits them, thrown from moving cars or simply tortured to death.

Why? The answer is surprisingly simple: GREED!!!

I am not at all opposed to dogs having a bit of a run. After all they were born to hunt on sight and give chase after prey and as I said before, they love it. I’m opposed to the greyhound racing INDUSTRY since I know for a fact that they refuse to look after their dogs as soon as they stop being a good investment. Here are a few considerations:

One in how many greyhound puppies will turn into a real “winner”? One in, say, 500 perhaps? What do you think will happen to the 499 others? Adoption? Not likely! That’s way too much work for a busy greyhound racing owner. The greyhound racing industry in e.g. Australia produces well over 25,000 puppies each year.

A greyhound’s racing career lasts no more than 2 to 3 years, so that an astounding number of perfectly healthy, but “economically useless” dogs must be disposed of every year.

The “winners” are not to be envied either mind you! They never have a moment’s peace, they’re kept in small cages and are never allowed to walk free. After all, the “investment” must be protected at all cost. Inevitably, the moment comes that these former winners will be disposed of too after a tough life on and off the racing track.

Are you getting the picture yet? The greed that drives both owners and gamblers is a brutal killer. People without remorse aiming to make a quick buck over the backs of these loving creatures is what makes greyhound racing so inhumane. As long as the industry cannot guarantee 100% that the dogs will be treated properly, we shouldn’t allow it!

Are these happy dogs?

Personally, I thinks it’s incredibly sad that we, as the human race, are unable to get a grip on the shady side of humanity to prevent them from hurting another, exceedingly loving, species for the love of money, simple greed. Oh man, I truly resent that. We all have to make a living, but this is simply unacceptable.

In the Philippines, there’s been a lot of debate lately whether or not to allow greyhound racing. The Philippine Star has featured an article on the matter which includes the letters of two animal welfare organisations to the Philippines’ Senate. You can read the article here. PETA, PAWS, AWC and many more animal welfare groups are staging protests. We can only hope the politicians will take notice and not give in to the gambling industry. It is very obvious that there’s already enough animal suffering there (cock fighting, diminishing forests available to wildlife, just to name a few) so we most certainly don’t want any more of it.

Fortunately, more and more people are beginning to realise that the criminals running this pitiful, inhumane show must be stopped. In 6 U.S. states and in South Africa, grayhound racing is already banned. In Australia, this informative web site shows exactly what goes on in the industry and what extremely loveable creatures greyhounds really are. The RSPCA (U.K.) relased a full report in PDF format. It deals with the fate that awaits greyhounds, whippets, spanish galgos, cross-breeds and many more in Wales and around the U.K. Go check out these links please.

This is how it should be!

Come on folks, let’s make sure these villains get what they deserve instead of getting rich!!!

posted by Michel on Mar 10

I’m ANGRY, I’m APALLED, and I’m soooo DISAPPOINTED with the utter ignorance that I see around me…

Year after year we see the same thing: usually very young animals are given away as a present. For Easter, for Christmas or some other (supposedly religious) holiday. Just imagine how your life would change if you yourself were given away as a “freebie”! End up with someone who never asked for your presence and who doesn’t know how to look after you, should he or she even have the interest in dong so in the first place. This is exactly what happens to MILLIONS of innocent rabbits, chicks, goldfish and other cuddly species all over the world. Unfortunately, it’s indicative of how little RESPECT people have for life other than their own.

Let’s face it, this habit is meant for commercial reasons only, to stimulate sales, attract attention of the public in markets, malls, shops and the like. How many of us are silly enough to be lured into buying stuff we don’t need anyway these days?

This stupid practise HAS TO STOP! Nobody really wants them anyway. Instead, let’s make sure that these animals get proper care and plenty of opportunity to lead a normal life as nature intended for them to have.

So let’s get together and tell these ignorant shop-keepers that we don’t want them to treat our animals with so little care and respect, that their criminal behaviour has to stop, or we simply will NEVER EVER visit their puny and disgusting little shops again in our lives!

Animals are no giveaways!

posted by Michel on Oct 5

One day in the year it is time to do something special for our faithful four-legged friends, our dogs, cats, rabbits, rats, ferrets, well anything really!

Of course, if all is well then every day is “Animal Day” for your pet. Let’s face it, we love them, right? However, all over the world, millions of animals are suffering, every day. They work too hard under abysmal conditions or are being abused, either because they are lab animals or because people treat them badly. For them, World Animal Day (or WAD for short) can be a special day. If on WAD we draw attention to all those bio-industry, shelter, stray and forgotten animals, perhaps one day they will notice the difference. Please visit the WAD web site.

In our home country, the Netherlands, one of the activities that is being organised by the national Society for the Protection of Animals, “Dierenbescherming”, for WAD is the so-called “Open Shelter Day”. Most shelters are open for the entire weekend and have information stands for animal-related charities and attractions. Here’s a short pictorial of WAD at the shelter in Rotterdam.

Dog Training School booth

posted by Michel on Oct 2

The idea behind this declaration is that the United Nations accept and promote the UDAW, so that it becomes easier for member states to enforce animal welfare policies. Please sign the declaration on: Animals Matter To Me or on the UDAW site and make your vote count! You can submit a picture of your favourite four-legged friend too on the Animals Matter To Me site.

Basically, the declaration says that animals are living creatures that have feelings and for that reason they should be respected and treated with respect. You can read more about the declaration on the UDAW site.

posted by Michel on Sep 23

Did I mention that I’m not a vegetarian (yet)? Well, this organisation makes you think twice about that juicy steak or hamburger. They’re promoting the World Farm Animals Day on the 2nd of October, not coincidentally the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. Here’s the web site: WFAD

What I like about their ideas is that they not only encourage people to stage protests, but also honour and mourn the animals that gave their lives to support us. As I said before, I’m not strictly against eating meat (after all, animals do) but I’m dead set against abuse and bad treatment of any animal. They should not have to suffer just for the fact that they were especially reared to satisfy our unhealthy appetites. Instead, we must look after them well PRECISELY because they will provide us with food.

Which reminds me of the culuture of many indigenous people, who honour the soul of the animal whose life they took to feed themselves. This is how it should be: take only what you need and honour that what you take!