Monday, July 2, 2007

Animal farmers do have a heart

A couple of days ago, jn aka veggiebun, sent me this news that she read in the local "Today" paper. It isn't local news but it's still as bad. In Beijing, China, 80 pigs were force-fed waste water by plastic pipes inserted down their throats to increase their weight before they make their way to the slaughter house. These pigs have already "passed" inspection by the stamps on their ears and were to be killed at one of the top slaughter houses.

To omnivores, this is scary - what kind of waste will they be eating in the pork? But to me it's even scarier to learn that life has degraded to mere commodities. With a head full of greed for money, animal life no longer has any value. With a heart full of greed for the taste of meat, we look at happy, live animals and feel like eating them. I better stop talking about this depressing news here and spoil your day.

On the optismistic side... The other day I was reading a story about a pig farmer in John Robbin's book - The food revolution.

We usually think of pig farmers (like those in the above story) as hard-hearted people who wouldn't value life except how much money it can fetch. But this pig farmer was different. When he was young he had a pet pig which he likes to play with. When the farmer goes swimming, one of his dogs would disturb him. This pet pig was so clever that she will swim (Yes! Pigs can swim!) between the dog and him so that he can swim in peace.

One day, the farmer's dad told him to kill the pig or he will not remain his son (What kind of dad is this?). The farmer was really upset but he had no choice and killed his pig friend :(. This haunt him even as a pig farmer. One good thing is that, Robbins advice him to switch to another business, which eventually he did - and he is now an organic vegetable farmer and make much more than he used to :). I was very touch by this story. It goes to show that even animal farmers have compassion and love in them. There is always hope.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your second story reminds me of a comment that someone made to me recently. He asked me for my reason to be vegetarian. I said I felt that it's pitiful to kill animals for food. Then he said, "The pig farmers will be even more pitiful if we don't eat meat and the pig farmers will have to kill themselves." I replied that they can do other jobs but that guy still thought his views are correct! Then, I don't want to talk further with him after that.

zweiya said...

Funny... and why would the pig farmer be more pitiful? Is the pig not the one shedding blood and lost its life? Hmm, the guy's reason to eat meat is preposterous, must well just say he likes meat, at least no one will think he's being ridiculous.

Jari (travelling-vegan) said...

Uff, that is a disgusting story, the first one I mean... the 2nd one on the other hand is quite delightful, aside from the father. Kill your friend or you're no son of mine?! Agh. Don't know what's wrong with people these days. Or have they always been this crazy?

dreamy said...

Good poing Zlyrica. Hahaha! Heh jn.. some people just like to say that they are right, even if it's using nonsense :D

This story was sometime ago.. I was thinkg the dad thinks he's weak for not killing the pig, but I dunno..

Anonymous said...

which is why I don't bother to reason with him after that.. :P

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