Testimonial Record - [2007-2010] [2011-2022]
THROUGH LOVES GRACE MAY MY SOUL BE SAVED – To those living now, you are my witness. To those living in the future, you are my judge. Today I commit my breath to the freedom of all sentient nations. I dedicate my mind, muscle, nerves, ligaments and tendons to a future where peace is a reality shared by all species. I am a woman, a mother, a friend, a triathlete, a human. I will run, cycle, swim, and breathe toward the day when no living thing is enslaved. My hope is to bring awareness, enlightenment and wisdom to those who are not. I believe in the power of love and peace, and on this day, I chose to die for it. When it is my hour to stand on the floor of grace, it is my prayer that my soul be granted passage to be counted among those who are angels....... these innocents, the enslaved.
Activists – It is the actions and beliefs of people like Alan that will, (hopefully sooner, rather than later) save this Planet and all who live on it. Good man Alan.
A world of compassion – We are struggling to create a world of compassion for all creatures. It is a long and hard struggle, which will last our whole lifetime and beyond. We came into the world with nothing, and we will leave with nothing, all we can do is try to leave it a better place than we found it. Here's to Alan and all those who are with us in the struggle...
If Slavery Is Immoral, Why Does It Still Exist? - Even the United Nations now pleads with humanity to stop consuming flesh in order to save the very planet itself: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/02/un-report-meat-free-diet
The planet is overpopulated with humans, that's part of our problem: selfishness and irresponsibility in the guise of "saving lives". Mother Nature intended to cull those lives, not save them. If humans wish to "save lives", then it should be the OTHER billions of creatures and species we consume and exterminate, NOT other humans.
Slavery has been formally outlawed and is a sanction-able action in most nations, and yet it exists all around us, in a variety of forms: livestock, vivisection subjects, and yes, even "pets".
It does not matter who the slave might be, it's the underlying concept of slavery that is inherently unethical and morally objectionable.
If humans agree that slavery is evil and illegal, then it is our responsibility to free the remaining slaves – all of them. Now. Without hesitation. We must practice what we preach or we are all hypocrites. To cherry-pick exceptions to this rule and make up excuses and justifications for the slavery of some means that all may be subjected to slavery. We cannot have these exceptions merely because it serves some purpose and convenience which we do not wish to relinquish. No one secured consent to take the life of another creature, or cause it pain to "gain knowledge", or to consume their body – causing them great pain during their life and especially when they are being executed like the prisoner that they are. We never secured the permission and consent to commit these acts, and we have absolutely no right to inflict these conditions on other beings. We alone - Homo sapiens - enslave, torture and murder other creatures en masse. No other species does this.
To be objective, one must confess that the consumption of flesh – whether it's one's own species or another species – is a choice that one makes each and every day. The eating of meat isn't necessary to maintain human health, and the evidence to the contrary – that consumption of other creatures causes our primate metabolism harm - can no longer be hidden, ridiculed and ignored by those with an interest in selling their "products", the flesh, skin, bone, excretions, feathers and eggs of living beings who subsequently know nothing but suffering, misery and violence at human hands.
Too many times in history, the same tired and over-used excuse has been used to justify horrible human choices and behaviours, and each time a human convinces another that "it's my culture" to commit some crime against another creature, all living things are diminished. What culture would claim violence, torture and rape as "a custom"? If humans acknowledge that raping a human child during warfare is a crime, why should incarcerating waterfowl and habitually injuring them to damage their liver be different? We have gerrymandered our "logic" so that this is a distinction ONLY if a human is involved and arbitrarily excluded all other life forms.
Why?
Because we wish to continue "using" them, and in order to do this, humans cannot afford to admit we have no right to do so. If we did, we would have to change our collective behaviours, but too many (of our over-populated 7 billion) are inflexible and unwilling to do so, regardless of the inevitable costs in suffering, violence, pollution, and death.
This has to change.
Not only is the position of animal slavery illogical, it is circular thinking, and most of all, it's hypocritically immoral by all counts.
When considering the immorality of slavery, it is not which creature in question is enslaved, it's the underlying practice of slavery in any form that is objectionable, and each time a human tries to justify this behaviour by "changing the rules for self-benefit", our entire species is rendered wilfully illogical, hypocritical, and certainly NOT a "superior species".
It took to until the age of 21 for me to make this realisation – that eating meat was a choice humans force on other creatures, not a "right" - so what's everyone else's excuse?!
We are not superior creatures, we are the worst hypocrites imaginable.
"I will continue to be a vegetarian even if the whole world started to eat meat. This is my protest against the conduct of the world. In relation to [animals], all people are Nazis; for the animals, it is an eternal Treblinka. How can we speak of right and justice if we take an innocent creature and shed its blood? When a human kills an animal for food, he is neglecting his own hunger for justice. Man prays for mercy, but is unwilling to extend it to others. Why should man then expect mercy from God? It's unfair to expect something that you are not willing to give. It is inconsistent. I can never accept inconsistency or injustice. Even if it comes from God. If there would come a voice from God saying, 'I'm against vegetarianism!' I would say, 'Well, I am for it!' This is how strongly I feel in this regard." -- Isaac Bashevis Singer
Animals everywhere – ALL responsible people need to speak up and defend those who cannot. If we all believed that someone else will take care of the mess, then the mess can only proliferate. From fur farms, to vivisection labs, to factory farming, to poaching, to poisoning for being considered pests, animals have been ruthlessly exploited since man appeared on this planet. If after 200 years a more ethical humane civilisation appears on this planet, they will view previous generations with horror for the cruelty they have inflicted on creatures who trusted them and gave them nothing but love and devotion. They can only cringe and utter, "WHY?"
Vivisection and dog rescue – Back in Med school, they had a "dog lab", where different drugs were injected into dogs so that students could watch the results. I went to administration and asked "Why are we killing dogs to show things we already know? This is not research." I refused to participate in the dog lab. Soon, other students heard of my refusal, and they, too, refused to participate. They discontinued the dog lab.
Years later, most of my salary as a physician goes to support a dog rescue on my ranch. Most of my spare time is spent working with the dogs, getting them past their issues, and teaching them to walk nicely on leash, getting them to the point of being highly adoptable.
There is no community support. I am treated like it is my duty to do this and to pay for everything myself. What is wrong with people in the USA, that they think someone else should always be responsible for solving their problems?
Shellfish and all marine creatures – While I am a vegan and concerned for all the animals and creatures and plants on this beautiful planet of ours, I have felt for years that those animals which we seldom see (except as 'food') are not given the same compassionate thought as the ones on land. I therefore run the Shellfish Network which campaigns for all sea creatures, both vertebrate and invertebrate, as they are as important as any other creatures. They are capable of feeling fear and pain and pleasure and have the right to live their own lives in peace and in the way that is right for them.
Animal cruelty - animal rights - It is time for our society to stop denying the crime it is being commited against animals... from entertainment, vivisection, food industry, fur farming, to sport hunting... legislation must take place now! UN must pass an international law for all animal rights... it is already past due! Schools must implement classes about the topic! The moment is NOW!
Non human beings – If your reading this in a hundred years time, I will be dead by now, but if you are still killing animals and exploiting them, then shame on you all for not doing the right thing.
You were born with nothing and you will leave with nothing, so don't let the animals suffer in your lifetime because all they want to do is be free to live their natural lives and its not up to us to be in charge of this world. We all share it, that's why we were born. Us vegans are often called sentimental idiots, but this is coming from people who are making money from exploiting animals and as I said they will only die in their lifetime after leaving a trail of destruction. By the way check out Keith Mann and Jeffrey Mason
My gift – I have been given the greatest gift of all – I was made aware of Veganism 41 years ago and will fight for the freedom of animals until the day I die.
Wildlife – There is a tendency among some folk to assume animals need us. This extends to keeping wild animals in captivity because they are "better off" in our care than leading natural, dangerous lives. This is a form of slavery in itself, because it puts aside the animals' natural instincts in order to make the 'owner' of the animal feel better.
I have heard people say: "My canary is obviously happy, because it sings all day", entirely ignoring the fact the bird isn't chirping because it's happy, but chirping in order to make contact with others of it's own species. We have had people who have rescued a fox cub and then refuse to hand it over to us on hearing we intend to rehabilitate them back to the wild, saying "but they will be hunted/shot/run over, we can't let that happen". This is a subtle form of slavery, denying the rights of something you love because your rights not to have to worry come first. There is as much danger of this applying to ones' children these days, where kids are not allowed to develop by taking risks and learning the hard way. Instead they are practically imprisoned, denied contact with their peers and mollycoddled. That, too, is slavery. The old adage "If you love something, let it go" applies equally to the welfare of captive animals and captive people that are well looked after as it does to those who are exploited more overtly. Freedom is everything.
Animal slavery - I think it is disgusting how people can be so cruel to animals. I am only 13 years old and I wouldn't dream of treating an animal badly. But also what is the thing with animal testing. If they are prepared to lock up and experiment on monkeys, rats and other animals why not humans? They are prepared to kill harmless animals and sure the people who test on them say that they were captured humanely but they are still going to get killed so what is the point of capturing them humanely. Basically what I think is that if they are prepared to 'humanely' capture harmless animals and kill them with products then why don't they do that to humans. I will tell you why, because they think humans are the most important and they rule everything. Well to be quite honest with you, if animals were more respected and we didn't kill them by destroying all their rainforests and woodlands the world would be a much healthier place and we wouldn't need to be worrying about global warming and CO2 emissions. Well that's my view :S
STOP THE MADNESS OF ANIMAL ABUSE! - There is not an innocent country in this world, we all carry the shame of neglect and abuse. Every one of us is responsible for telling our gov'tthat we do not accept any form of abuse, neglect and torture, and fight daily to stop it. Make it your goal to take at least one action a day, alert your friends and family, and never give up the fight!
Freedom For All Parrots – Millions of innocent parrots are kept in captivity worldwide. If we would line up all imprisoned wild caught and bred birds on the planet, they would reach all the way around the Earth at the equator, perhaps even twice.
The few birds that managed to escape imprisonment outside their natural habitat are now branded 'invasive species' making it sound as if they came from outer space and on their own will. In many countries it is illegal to release exotic birds, denying them their nature-given right to fly. Absurd!
Parrot populations in their native habitats are declining.
The main causes are:
1. Market demand for parrots as pets
2. Large profits of the pet industry
3. Lack of laws that makes keeping birds illegal
4. Corruption and Lies
Trapping because of poverty, as often believed and used as justification, is not a main cause. In Brazil only recently 72 wild animal traffickers have been arrested. Those 72 individuals are responsible for the trade of HALF A MILLION wild animals per year.
VERY FEW people causing BIG problems to the parrots and take away such a beautiful wild animal from all of us who love to see them fly free.
Parrots need to come off the market without exceptions, because seeing or even offering them for sale causes even more demand.
Breeders say, that they are doing CONSERVATION WORK. It should not matter what breeders say, but they should be looked at what they are: BUSINESSES!
No parrot is a pet, no matter if wild caught or bred. It is only those who are in the business of selling parrots, who say, that they can't be given back to nature. As if a human slave after generations of slavery would not be able to survive in Freedom.
If YOU want to help parrots and others birds getting back their Freedom and help avoid ending up more of them in captivity:
-Don't visit or buy at places (hotels, restaurants, parks, zoos, pet stores, internet companies etc.) where there are captive parrots and other birds for sale, in cages for exposition, used for commercials etc.) and let the owner, manager or employees know, why you decided to do so.
-Make your voice heard, write or speak to government officials telling them, to not allow any more breeding, keeping and selling of parrots and other birds and this should be turned not only into national, but international law.
Freedom means to be able to choose. As long as cage doors are locked, there is no choice.
Animal Friends for animal rights – We have been actively campaigning for all animals for eight years and we are not planning on quitting yet.
"I am in favour of animal rights as well as human rights – that is the way of the whole human being!" - Abraham Lincoln
Horse slaughter – I have grown up around horses since the day I was born, when it was time for me to sell my first horse I had a problem, I was afraid of him going to the slaughter house, how could that be fair to send the animal you once lived for to a deaths sentence.
I think that all horse slaughter houses should be shut down immediately. It would make the horse people all over the world be so relieved to know that the horse will not be killed.
ALL SLAUGHTER HOUSES SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN!!!
This must stop – I am 13, I'm here to say, an animal is not just an animal. To me I believe animals may be as smart as humans, if not smarter. We humans maybe were evolved from animals, may be not. But if so, we humans wouldn't be here today. People have become traders to the animal kingdom, this must stop. We must find a way to prove animals might be our only way for the population of living creatures in the world when the day comes us humans cant fight what god may have in store. If you are with my message, please say yes to animal kingdom protection!
Don't give up, we can make a difference! - I come from a country where animal abuse is common and respect of animals is new. Animal lovers here have to fight against anything you can imagine.
BUT – I am happy that animal rights are starting being discussed here. I am happy that I have offered my little efforts on that. I am happy that more and more people are getting involved into animal rights movement. Despite all the problems and difficulties and obstacles (which often seem huge), we must never give up. Even if we don't see immediate results, nothing we do for the animals is wasted. Time will come that we will harvest the grapes of our diligence.
Animal Abuse = Bad Karma for the earth as whole - I have loved animals for as long as I can remember, my very first companion animal was a cat and she came into my family's life when I was about 7, she was loved and adored by all. Not too long after a mouse joined the family, then guinea pigs, hens and a dog! I became vegetarian about 15 years ago, well I am sort of in-between veg and vegan and am a member of many animal rights organisations and the Vegetarian Society of SA! I spend most of my spare time fundraising for the animals in Zimbabwe (my ex home), at protests, networking etc.
I would just like to take the opportunity now, to light a candle in remembrance of the millions of animals who are tortured, abused, killed and eaten by humans each and ever day! I believe in the power of prayer and pray daily that we will be able to live in a more peaceful and compassionate would soon! Thank you to all of you who take in the abused and make them whole again, I salute you and others like you! "Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight" - Albert Schweitzer
Meeting Alan for the first time – When Alan Cooper came to London, in 2004 he gave a talk to an audience of London Animal Action meeting goers, and I was very impressed by his unforgettable topic for discussion. Particularly on the subject of those animals who are the mammals least like human beings, unlike apes the attention to such detail concerning his campaign for dolphins was a glimpse into what now in 2008/9 we see. This attention of the work of Sea Shepherd in the Campaigners Diary in the last couple of years, and the growing awareness Governments who are forced to accept as their remit to ensure not just sustainable industries, but ethical ones has no greater moral depths to fathom than slavery. Alan is truly dedicated to his work.
Remembering Three Special Rockys – I am pleased to endorse this campaign in memory of Rocky Dolphin extricated from Flamingo Land dolphin prison by a High Court Order and subsequently flown to rehabilitation and freedom in the British West Indies, and in memory of two Rocky Dogs who, I hope, enjoyed as much freedom as appropriate in today's screwed up 'society'. "Western civilisation? That WOULD be a good idea."
Animal Rights - the Morality of the Future - Each and every animal is an individual with the capacity to feel physical and emotional pain and distress. The exploitation and killing of animals for food, 'science', vanity and entertainment is utterly wrong and abhorrent. The world needs to wake up to the morality of the future TODAY! Before it is too late.
Love and respect for all of God's creatures – RIP to every animal who has suffered and still suffers at the hands of evil human beings.
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated" - Mahatma Gandhi
This World Belongs to Them As Must As It Belongs to Us! - This world belongs to all living creatures. It belongs to animals just as much as it belongs to us, humans. But since these creatures cannot stand up for themselves, it is our duty to take care of them. And that does not give us a right to abuse them. If only people could be a little considerate, this world would be a happier place for these loveable creatures.
This abandoned / lost Pomeranian dog that I rescued was in such a bad shape when I brought him home last year. Today, he has turned out to be a good-looking and lovely companion and he brings so much of joy.
Horse Slaughter and Cruelty - I am horrified and nauseated by the site and sound of it! Horses are phenomenal animals that are being brutally killed and tortured daily, and they can't do anything about it! They shouldn't have to go through the pain and terror of being slaughtered! People just cant see what goes on behind those sick walls! They think they are quickly being killed, but they are killed slowly and insufficiently! Sometimes they aren't even stunned/paralysed before they go to the shackles! And some smaller animals can bend their legs up so that it doesn't hurt their legs, horse's legs jut break or they dislocate their hips!
They can't speak! They can't just walk away from it all! When they get out of the double-decker trailer filled with Clydesdales and Miniatures, they are sometimes beaten with metal rods to tenderize the meat! It's horrific! How can people sleep at night after they've done that?! We need to speak up and stick up for our four-legged brothers! They are just as important as we are!
Respect/respeto - Desgraciadamente, moriré sin ver a los humanos de este mundo respetar a sus compañeros de planeta: los animales. Desgraciadamente veo que han de pasar muchos años para que aprendamos a respetar. Me gustarÃa haberlo visto. Por mi parte hago todo lo que puedo con todo mi amor.
Animals – This is a great web site and I am pleased to give it my full support. We need to make the full facts about cruelty to animals known to the public, in particular the next generation. To do that we need to get past a media that far too often is callous and indifferent to animal suffering. The survival of our own species will surely depend on our treating our fellow species with more respect.
Stop Animal Slavery – 2008 and still Animal Slavery in the world and there is still no light at the end of the tunnel. How long will it take before animals are free of the dominance of humans?
How many more killed dolphins, whales, elephants, seals, tigers, etc will it take before they know what they do? How many more dogs, cats, chickens, pigs and sheep will die in a disgusting way and place? How many more lives do we need?
Animals can't speak for themselves, so we have to do it for them and their next generations.
Evolution – Why is evolution always seen as a physical thing alone? Don't we, as animals, also evolve spiritually and emotionally? Or else where do we get our emotions and thoughts and intelligence from?
It's pure joy to watch animals think and reason, play and be kind to their own and other species. If only we would learn from them.
Slavery is what it is - Slavery is the exploitation of the powerless. So this great website is absolutely right in its analogy with human slavery. As a species we are exploiting everything on this planet - the creatures who share it with us, the poor, the child labourers, the sex slaves and the environment and natural resources. As a species we claim to be intelligent, but we're not. If we were we would see the interdependence of all life. We may be relatively few voices as yet but our words are being heard in an ever increasing volume and number. I take heart from the messages and news from around the world. Animal Liberation will come and we are all playing our parts to this end. The exploiters may call us crazy but we are the truly sane.
Freedom for all – I dream of the day when all cruelty ceases. What a wonderful world that would be. No sentient being should be treated as a commodity and all species have the right to life and the five freedoms. If this planet can survive the weight of humankind one day people will look back in disgust at the way we humans have treated animals.
Never give up on animals – Helping to stop animal abuse brings millions of people together. We don't know one another, but we are deeply connected. We must never give up. There are so many of us now, surely the tide must turn. The animals depend on us and that is our inspiration. Their suffering MUST end.
Animals – I want to have all kinds of animal abuse or pain away from this world. Please tell me what to do. Thanks a lot my friends.
Fantastic Website – Making The Perfect Connection – What a truly fantastic website. Humane slavery happened and animals are today's modern slaves! Just like many decades ago, people were used and abused for the rich and other interests, today the animal kingdom is under attack in a war that has yet to be declared for nothing more that greed, pleasure and ignorance.
Why on earth can't the average member of the public see through this, but then again going back about 10 years ago I'll be the first person to put my hand up and say I was the 'average member of the public' who at last saw the light... for animals.
Thanks for a great website.
A slow awakening – I don't know why, but though I was vegetarian for many years, it was mainly for the reasons of feeding the world and protecting the environment. I loved animals – so I thought - but my love extended mainly to domestic cats and dogs. I knew little about the horrors of the farm and slaughterhouse and felt quite detached from farmed animals and their lives. I even returned to eating meat for a few years, on the advice of an acupuncturist. I believe I became very cut-off from my emotions in order to do this. But various life-changing events back in 2000 gradually started to wake me up. A year later, I was on holiday in Australia. One part of the trip involved a visit to the Barrier Reef, where I snorkelled in amazingly beautiful sea, populated with fish and turtles - it was magical, but imagine my horror when I returned to the ship and saw a large, very dead fish as the lunch's centrepiece - surrounded by dead crustaceans. My throat closed up and I couldn't eat any of it. I never touched fish again. Three months later - partly as a result of the Australian epiphany and partly as a response to the puzzle of human violence in the wake of 9/11 - I was vegan.
We humans are a strange mixture of the kind and the cruel. We have the capacity to demonstrate great compassion as well as self-interest. I try not to judge others because I'm aware of my own ability to swing either way. I also believe that empathy can be taught and nurtured and that it is this 'empathy gene' that we must develop as a species if we and the planet are going to survive. I now work for an animal campaigning group in the UK, having left a career in teaching so I could save animals.
I'm not a front-line campaigner – my job is now involved with promoting vegan food. I do cookery demos at shows and in schools. I test recipes which are then published on our websites and in our guides – so we have a bank of fantastic dishes to offer people. It's my skill - I think that many ordinary people feel daunted by the thought of a veggie, never mind a vegan diet. They have kids and families and busy lives and need a helping hand. It has to be made accessible and easy for them to make the transition to a kinder diet - they won't do it otherwise.
My life has changed and I've never looked back. I'd say to anyone out there - do it. It's not about giving up but of liberating self and others. Do whatever you can to end the cycle of cruelty and brutalisation of other species. Because ultimately, we are all interconnected on this planet and what we do to others has an impact on ourselves. Cruelty and exploitation of animals paves the way for violence to human beings, let alone the damage it causes to the environment. We can't wait for mass movements or governments to save the day - we have to start with ourselves, now.
Why? - How can so many people decide to turn their backs on the misery they are contributing towards? What makes so many humans decide their desires are more important than the enslavement and abuse of animals? How can so many stand by and let evil triumph without trying to do something? It takes so little effort to say no I choose a different way. I will not stand by and do nothing about the atrocitys..
Changing to a vegan diet is a liberating start. Here's to the expectation that the day will come when all animals will live full long lives without fear and with their freedom just as they deserve.
My awakening - I was 7yrs of age and stamping on hundreds of ants on a hot summers day. Suddenly I heard a voice shouting , "What on Earth are you doing?". I looked around but there was no one about. I realised in an instant that I had no right to kill that which I could not create. I knew I should not therefore eat sheep or pigs. I felt uplifted and as if I had made a wonderful discovery. I knew it would change my life. I rushed indoors to let my mother know the exciting news. Her response knocked me back. "You will die if you do not eat meat". I vowed to delay it until I was a "big girl".
I wrote an essay at school at the age of 9 of the wrongs of putting a dog into space. My teacher said "Humans are more important than animals, you will understand that when you grow up". Not to the dog I thought and I realised that I saw things differently from my teacher. I could not understand his "biased and prejudiced" point of view. I began arguing with friends about animal cruelty and was disappointed that none were able to see the animals point of view.
One night in bed at the age of 18, I remembered my vow and next morning made the decision to have nothing to do with animals unless it was of their choice. If it meant that I would die then so be it, I would not have any more deaths on my conscience. I had become a vegan without knowing the word. I am so grateful that my mind became open. If I were a religious person I would say that a god had spoken to me as a child. However I have nothing but contempt for virtually all religious groups, they are NOT good enough and even celebrate their faiths by massacring animals.
The kindest people I have ever met are vegans. They're people who campaign to save species from dying out. I am not one of them. I am against individual suffering. As I see it the human species is so sick that it will try to preserve those species it has decimated but when numbers rise it will destroy them in great numbers again. The only way to protect individuals is if they are never born. So sadly I am hoping that many more species become extinct.
Back to the religious theme, I once had a thought that god created animals and the devil created man. It is the only explanation for me to be able to understand the appalling way humans treat other species. If human beings managed to destroy themselves then that would be wonderful. Other creatures might then have some quality of life. To be a vegan is wonderful as it means I can look any animal in the eye in the knowledge that any harm that may befall them will not be of my doing. The saddest thing about being a vegan is knowing that I can never do enough to make other people change their lifestyles of animal abuse. There is not enough time and people don't listen. To those animals I have known, it has been a pleasure to be your friend. To those vegans I have known, I am very grateful for your support and understanding and I love you all. To the other human beings I have met I have never really liked or understood you. You have always seemed like a separate species, that I have had to tolerate. VEGANISM FOR LIFE.
Illegal hunting – I am a hunt monitor. Having campaigned for a ban on hunting for decades, I cannot accept the fact that people are still chasing and killing wild mammals for fun. Sometimes, monitoring can be dangerous and terrifying. When it gets like that, I think of all the other people, like those on this website, who are doing things for animals and it gives me the courage to continue monitoring. To everyone, keep on keeping on!
Animal slavery – Animals have no voice therefore they are exploited and abused. We must continue our fight for the rights of animals and humans alike.
A story which has inspired me to carry on my fight for the animals is this:
One day, a man was walking along the beach when he noticed
a boy picking something up and gently throwing them into the ocean.
Approaching the boy, he asked, "What are you doing?". The youth replied, "Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them back, they'll die."
"Son", the man said, "don't you realise there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can't make a difference!"
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish,
and threw them gently back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said "I made a difference for that one."
I pray I will always have strength of heart and mind to continue my fight for those who cannot speak!!
WE ALL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!!
SORRY, I tried but it was never enough, could never have been enough against the relentless waves of human oppression
I want to apologise for the ecological state of Planet Earth. This assumes the situation in 2207 is as bad as I believe it will be.
In 2007 and for many decades before that we didn't care enough to look after this Planet. In the so-called "developed world" people were just too damn selfish, busy consuming, while others in the so-called " third world" were barely surviving themselves, a significant number on around $1 a day. That is the inequality which exists today for humans in different parts of The Planet.
Yes, so you may well think what chance did non-humans have of living and surviving at the dawning of the 21st century, very very little, so I apologise for all the animal species you have never seen, except from a picture in a book, for the elephants, tigers, apes and the love of my life, the dolphins.
The Yangtze river dolphin was officially declared extinct this year. To be one of a species that cause this to happen to another, I feel numb, incredibly sad. The human species just couldn't hear the message of the dolphins, that they too were a great civilisation in their own blue world and that we were destroying them. I had the privilege to be around them in the ocean too, to swim amongst them, it was unconditional experience unlike the relationship one has with other humans.
In 2004 over 15,000 species were listed as threatened. At the same time over 40 billion farm animals, around seven times the total human population were farmed for food each year, a repulsive fact, repulsive people prepared to gorge unnecessarily on their flesh. The human species is another plague of locusts demolishing everything in its 'advance' or 'progression', progression, what a joke.
Perhaps there are species that have survived prudent enough to have managed to avoid contact with 'man' but I fear individuals of many species are now entombed only in some sort of freakish themed park. I wonder in 2207 as you read this, do you think their 'habitat' is freakish or natural? Perhaps you, the people of 2207 find it all acceptable, just like many of 2007 or perhaps a small but significant percentage of you are very, very sad about the situation as some of we are today
I became aware of animal suffering at an early age. My mother told me (later in life), I said to her when I was around 4 or 5 years old, "What are all these dead animals doing hung up?". This was on a visit to the butchers shop, amazing but true, some years later the butcher hung himself in the shop.
I was a vegetarian of sorts but it wasn't until the age of 30 my life changed dramatically and for the better. I became a Vegan overnight after watching the 'Animals Film' in 1982. Twenty-five years on it is the single most important decision I ever made for the better, my living no longer depended on the death of others.
DON'T EAT THE SLAVES - (MEAT AND DAIRY)
DON'T WEAR THE SLAVES - (BY-PRODUCTS, LEATHER AND WOOL)
DON'T WATCH THE SLAVES - (ZOOS, CIRCUSES AND DOLPHINARIA)
DON'T USE MEDICAL PRODUCTS THAT HAVE BEEN TESTED ON THE SLAVES
Shortly after 1982, I became an active animal rights campaigner with the Northern Animal Liberation League which was based in Manchester in the UK. Halcyon days when we thought we could do anything and often did, from street stalls to hunt sabotage to raiding ICI labs with such audacity in broad daylight.
A similar raid a few months later at Unilever labs in Bedfordshire by animal liberators brought me and twenty-four activists forty-one and a half years in prison, (I got 2 years for my part).
"You are not friends of society, you are enemies of it, that I believe is your true purpose". Thank you Judge Wild for saying that as you sentenced us, paying us all such an enormous compliment, a society where animals were/are viewed as expendable objects, rather than sentient beings.
Other slave animals have been rescued but it was never enough, could never have been enough...
Cetacea Defence has campaigned for close on 20 years, specialising in whale and dolphin issues/threats, but lending its name and energy to many other non-cetacean matters too, including human rights issues, for my fight is against injustice, be it for a slave animal or a human animal, a victim of war or of other oppression.
Probably the biggest successes for non-humans are:
Other highlights in the campaigns to save cetaceans are:
The first two dates have never become the threat to the captivity industry I envisaged, getting people to engage their bodies with the often rhetorical content of their mouths and do some direct action in the simple but effective form of picketing dolphinariums has proven very difficult indeed and has been probably made worse by the advent of the Internet. There is now a generation of activists who may believe the Internet is the only way of campaigning, (that an email will change The World), rather than just a useful tool, in which if information is not acted upon in other ways, the conveyance of information is good but the tool itself may be very limited in what it can achieve.
Now all my cards have probably been played, the dice has been thrown not by me, but for me and a serious health condition means I am severely handicapped in want I still have the passion for, animal and human liberation.
Amen to all the animals and humans that have suffered at the hands of human tyranny.
This is the testimony of Alan Cooper UK, originator of www.animalslavery.net
Animal and human slavery – A poem:
Sympathy.
I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals -
I know what the caged bird feels!
I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting -
I know why he beats his wing!
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore-
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to heaven he flings -
I know why the caged bird sings!
By PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR, poet and writer, son of two runaway slaves.
As Alice Walker said: "The animals of the world exist for their own reasons, they were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites or women for men". This is such an evil world and this evil goes on. What is masqueraded as 'legitimate business', 'tradition' and even 'medical research' is actually indulgence in sadism. What draws a person to do this? I would not do this, not for all the money in the world.
Why do such people seek glory in being cruel to creatures without glory, whose lives are miserable enough?
You don't need a contract with the devil written in your own blood to sell your soul, people do this all the time, in bloodsports, in vivisection, in other forms of unspeakable animal slavery and cruelty. But people are waking up, ever, ever so slowly, and those who do evil have to hide it so well, secrecy, keeping evil hidden, is an integral part of its continuance. But with the internet exposing these horrors and more and more caring people like yourselves, then we can all make a difference. We are only on this earth once, merely passing through and it is our duty to do something about this evil while we are here on earth, that is the whole reason for us being here and life is short.
Animal abuse – What a horrible, cruel world this is. Most people have no
regard at all for all the beautiful animals of this planet. No animal should ever be killed or hurt! This world is theirs too. No one has the right to make them slaves! Animals have feelings and they feel pain just like everyone else! I wish the whole world would become vegetarians!
Enslaving and abusing animals - No wonder some of us have become misanthropic. I will never understand why human beings believe they have the right to lord it over other species and those without a human voice, the vulnerable among us and those they simply don't understand; and believe they have the right to exploit them as they so choose. These arrogant humans who perpetrate these cruel acts actually believe they are superior and therefore have some right to commit these crimes. The laws, made by those very humans, to supposedly protect animals, are insufficient, weak and under-policed.
Greyhounds and Galgoes in Spain! - To write a testimony is difficult. However, when something fills your heart and makes you cry it is time to speak up. Like many others I had heard about bull fighting in Spain. I was unaware of the cruelty that greyhounds and galgoes were/are subjected to every day in Spain.
I became aware of that when I got in contact with Galgoes in Need Denmark and asked if i could adopt a Galgo through them. I was granted that wish. On the twenty first of March 2005 very late at night I received a phone call from Spain. The galgo/greyhound mix I was waiting for was so traumatised that the chairman of galgoes in need thought it was better to leave him in Spain. However she had found another slightly smaller than the first one. She asked me if I would consider him instead. I said yes.
I went to the airport in Copenhagen the next day to welcome my new sighthound. I signed the adoption papers and was then shown a picture of my new dog. He was not a galgo at all, but a pure-bred greyhound. Now two years later I have no regrets at all about saying yes to my greyhound. I found some tattoos in both his ears black ones and someone had tried to erase his tattoos with acid. Needless to say he suffered. However who ever dumped him in Madrid had no idea what a wonderful lad they threw away.
Through research I found out that Connor (that's what I call him), was born in Castil Leon or Castil le Mancha. Some of the worst places in Spain if you happen to be a galgo or greyhound. I found out that Connor´s mother and father were exported to Spain from Ireland.
The export of surplus greyhounds from Ireland to places such as Spain must be stopped. Sending any dog to Spain is a death sentence. Some murder, maim and torture these gentle sighthounds in their thousands every year. I support some shelters in Spain to the best of my ability which is not a great deal since I don´t have a lot of money, but I have boycotted all Spanish products and I will not set foot in Spain unless it is to take a dog home with me.
I hereby ask you to do the same or as much as your conscience will allow you to do. The enatee cruelty to animals all over Spain must be stopped by strong pressure from the rest of Europe and from the caring people who help these sight-hounds risking their own lives in the process. Thank you all.
NON VIOLENCE BEGINS WITH THE FORK – Animal liberation = human liberation, in more ways than one. When we refrain from using and abusing non human animals for our own ends, whatever the reason, we gain a bit of the spark that makes us thinking, reasoning animals with a tremendous capacity for love, forgiveness and compassion. We grow spiritually and emotionally through our choice of non violence toward other earthlings. How can it be that so many decent folk will not acknowledge what we do in the name of food, companions, medicine, entertainment and clothing? I think because the realities are so very horrific. I keep faith though, and trust in Karma. We will prevail.
I too, kept my eyes closed and I now wonder how I could have felt such emotion at what I saw yet refused to give in. The Universe is forgiving however, and I give thanks that I have been able to make amends in whatever small ways I can contribute. I hope my actions will open even one pair of eyes, so they too, can really see.
One day, if we haven't self destructed, the world will be vegan. I am sure of it. And we, as a species, will look back in utter horror, as we look now at the holocaust.
We don't need rights, as they can be ignored or taken away. We need total liberation, respect, empathy and compassion – I'm Vegan because I don't like to be part of any violence or injustice to any living being, human or non-human. If you care about this planet's future then you should be Vegan... Its the ONLY Holistic answer!
Remember Rights only supposedly come with Responsibilities - and I haven't seen many human animals being very responsible towards our planet and the the vast majority of it's inhabitants...? Remember the 3 R's: REDUCE your impact on our planet, Be RESPONSIBLE in all your actions, Be RESPECTFUL of all life and nature.
"What is scary in this world is oppression and injustice, when people hurt people, animals and nature.
What is beautiful in this world is resistance, when people say 'enough is enough' and act.
Oppression and injustice are everywhere, but so is resistance.
Because some people know that if you fight you might lose, but if you don't fight, you've already lost".
Animal slavery – First of all, please excuse my English, it's not my native tongue, this is what I have to say:
During a meditation a strong message came through to me: Make the connection - meaning, tell people that there is no difference what so ever between our companion animals and those animals of the land, the air and the waters which billions of people all over the world eat, who suffer and die in fraudulent vivisection labs, are hunted for human pleasure or are getting exploited in countless other ways and most of society sees no wrong by doing so. And to make matters worse on this bankruptcy of human immorality and ignorance, the spineless Church has always been silent and often enough take an active part in all of it.
What will future generations say about past generations who treated the animals, those beautiful sentient beings in such a cruel, low life way.
There will never ever be Peace on Earth unless we treat all animals as sentient beings, therefore – make the connection!
Compassion – I join in a prayer for animals who suffer for our human arrogance, ignorance and false superiority. I pray that more and more people start to feel compassion for our animal friends, compassion even beyond the boundaries of our household pets.
Stop the animal slavery now! - Stop the daily suffering of animals, avoid animal products, try the vegan way.
"Even if we were to prevent the infliction of suffering on animals only when it is quite certain that the interests of humans will not be affected to anything like the extent that animals are affected, we would be forced to make radical changes in our treatment of animals that would involve our diet, the farming methods we use, experimental procedures in many fields of science, our approach to wildlife and to hunting, trapping and the wearing of furs, and areas of entertainment like circuses, rodeos, and zoos. As a result, a vast amount of suffering would be avoided" - Peter Singer
Animal Slavery - If animals believe in God, then they must think that we (humans) are the Devil. The more I learn about the cruel acts humans do to animals, the more I believe that we have no real place here on Earth.
We are all inhabitants of this planet, its time we started to look after it and all the animals.
What will future history books say about us? I dread to think!
Abolish all animal slavery! - What a surprise to find a site such as this. I am so tired of HSUS and the likes of them prolonging the suffering of animals, even PETA and Ingrid Newkirk and her support of temple Grandin and "humane" slaughter which you and I know that would never be. "Humane" slaughter bullshit will mean more farm animals will die, more demands and forget veganism. Meat eaters won't think about changing because the animals die "humanely" anyway. I have argued about this enough. I never want to see any animals being born only to suffer and die. Thanks...
ANIMAL TRANSPORTATION IN INDIA – VERY CRUEL – Animals are ill treated during transportation in India – they travel under heavy stress, injury along with unnecessary pain and suffering. End this slavery at once!
Please stop already!!
As Abraham Lincoln succinctly put it: "I am in favour of animal rights as well as human rights, that is the way of a whole human being".
I say ditto Alan! People are the biggest plague on this earth! Seems the more I try to get involved and help the more I'm made aware of the disgusting cruelty out there, every time I think it won't get any worse... it can't... I get slapped in the face by some or other sadistic occurrence! Sigh....
Animal slavery and vivisection - I wonder how many human beings ever imagine themselves behind those bars, looking out at the world, longing to be free, to feel kind hands upon them and hear a kind and loving voice whisper words of love and compassion! The sad and lonely existence until their cruel fate is metered out by man, and their lives end or continue in agony and desperate in confused sadness.
I am always most ashamed to be a human being when I read about these acts that so called civilised people hand out to innocent animals. How do they feel when committing these atrocities, or are they such disgusting monsters that they do not feel at all?!!
I sometimes wonder how my god and kind father allows this to go on and I pray to him to help us stop this!
Abusing animals - It is a great idea, that this will be here, even when we are not any more! The world has to know, has to realise, that the abuse of animals is so sick, so low... Every time I meet an animal which has been abused by so called the human race, it makes me angry... What right has a human to `play` with a life, to unworthy it to the worst... Let's remember, that animals are before us on this world and also, that no animal ever has thoughts to do these things to people...
Hopefully we may see one day the light of 'humanity'...
Brainwashed - Each new day peels another layer away from the anaesthetising brainwashing I've been subjected to as a member of the human race. Everywhere; I see body parts and derivatives of my dear animal friends. And I cannot "unknow" the pain, fear, torture and immense suffering that the animals have endured in order to become the aesthetically packaged TV meal.
It is no longer acceptable on any level in my heart, mind or soul, but the vast majority of people are so far removed from reality that they would doubt my sanity if I were to share the extent of my pain and horror at the way animal suffering is so ingrained into every aspect of human society. Did you ever have your favourite pet put down? Do you remember the fear and the sorrow? Its like that for an animal, any animal, all beings. But also I remember the unconditional, love, forgiveness and trust of my animals and I must learn from this too and be patient. Everyone is compassionate, by nature, hidden somewhere deep inside each of our hearts, we will eventually discover compassion for ourselves, each other and our fellow beings, our animal companions. If we persevere...
Animal Slavery – This needs to stop, especially in this day and age where we need to protect animals rather than destroy them.
One struggle, One fight. Human Freedom and Animal Rights...
All sentient beings deserve love, respect and RIGHTS. We live in an age where the human race considers itself superior to all others on our planet and this is to our own detriment. Abusing animals and our Mother Earth through factory farming animals for food, destruction of the rain forest for our own selfish means and mindlessly ignoring the obvious signs that we are irreparably unbalancing the eco-system to satisfy unnecessary pleasures is obvious to anyone who takes time to open their eyes to the truth.
We are torturing and killing animals for cosmetics, cleaning products, hair dyes and failed pharmaceuticals. Abusing hens for eggs, creating obscene amounts of CO2 emissions farming cows for their flesh, flattening the rain forest to grow food to feed for "food" animals, polluting rivers to breed animals for the fur industry. Killing calves for the milk industry, killing dolphins for the seafood industry, imprisoning whales for the entertainment industry, killing elephants for their ivory, overfishing the seas to provide unnecessary fish flesh for consumers, beating animals into submission for the entertainment industry, abusing animals for the transport industry... the list is a long one, too long to cover here. So unnecessary and so detrimental!!!
This has to stop and I will fight against this unnecessary abuse of our fellow animals until the end of my days with fire, compassion and a true, heartfelt drive. We will win.
Animal abuse - I am now 48 and have belonged to many animal groups since I was a teenager i.e. Beauty Without Cruelty, South Africans for the Abolition of Vivisection, Humanity for Hens, etc. It is a sad fact that the cruelty is perpetuated. In terms of vivisection the data collected over and over again while millions of animals are subjected to excruciating and painful experiments. This data is meaningless as results from animals cannot be extrapolated to humans as is the proof in the many drugs that were approved by the FDA and went on to cause death and serious side effects in humans. There are alternative methods but these are not deployed.
Animals imprisoned in cages for crimes they did not commit. I believe that animals are sentient beings with feelings like ours, strong family bonds (in the case of dolphins stronger as they never abandon a wounded family member) who communicate but in some cases at frequencies we cannot detect. A month ago I stood in front of two male elephants and the admiration and respect I felt brought tears to my eyes. It was explained to me that they communicate at a frequency too low for my ears to hear. They can feel through their feet an approaching herd 60 km away. People who are arrogant and disrespectful show their lack of awareness that they share a planet that is sustaining their lives. May our collective compassion overcome evil and our love bring about much needed change, freedom and respect for all animals everywhere.
Animal Slavery – Will it never end? As someone else commented, the sea, earth, sky will only be free once the human population has been erased. By then though, it will be too late for most if not all of the incredible creatures which share our planet.
Animal Slavery – We live in a very sick world where animals have no rights and are treated like objects. I pray that one day animals will get the rights they so justly deserve.
Animal Slavery – Animals are sentient beings, they have their own lives to live, they feel pain, sorrow and happiness, just as we do. Therefore we have no right to use them for our own selfish means. I die a little each day when I read about animal abuse, it's especially bad here in South Africa and unless children are taught compassion for every little creature from the time they can understand, I have little hope for the future!
"Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight" - Albert Schweitzer
Fellow beings - My only hope is that mankind will evolve to such a level as to appreciate all animals. May the future generations recognise and feel the shame of their ancestors that participated in animal cruelty as we see it today. Remember when the world laughed at the warnings of global warming in the 1980's and didn't take it seriously? This should be a lesson that ought to have been learned. Don't just write off warnings of "crazy activist people" (that is the easy way out). Animal cruelty and abuse is essentially the same as global warming in that context.
Animals are fellow beings sharing our planet and yet we, who are essentially very evolved primates, feel that we have the right to do as we please to these beings. The level of cruelty in all of the countries on the planet is appalling. Mankind has interfered with nature to such a degree that they are endangering the very existence of our plant. Mankind has shown itself to have no morals and integrity. It has to and will change.
Support from Australia – It is my greatest hope that I might see the abolition of animal slavery occur in my lifetime. For too long have our fellow creatures been abused and exploited due to the supposed superiority of the human species. It is time to humble ourselves, to join with them in fellowship, for the purpose of bringing peace on Earth. We owe it to them, and we owe it to our future generations.
It is not time to sit idly by while billions of innocent creatures continue to suffer – it is time to be pro-active. Albert Einstein once said: "The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing".
I don't know when it happened - I don't know when it happened that people thought animals and all the Earth has to offer is there for just them to use and abuse. I don't know where they got that notion from. I am sure that the creator, whether it be Allah, Jesus, Javeh, etc, did NOT have this in mind when they graced us with the perfection of that which is animal and our beautiful planet.
Try as I may, I cannot understand why humans would want to kill, maim, torture, abuse and destroy something that is pure and beautiful and perfect. What is it that drives us to destroy perfection? Says a lot about us, does it not?
Quakers and abolition – One of the central principles of the Society of Friends (Quakers) is commitment to Peace/Non-violence, because of our conviction that the Light or Spirit of God is present in all hearts. Inspired by this principle, which has hitherto been almost completely limited in range to human hearts, a small number of friends are active in working toward the abolition of animal slavery, just as a few friends worked to abolish human slavery in past centuries. At present most friends are indifferent to this concern and some actively resist it. But we believe that the loving spirit which gives life to all that breathes will prevail.
The arrogance of man – I long ago learned that animals are more humane than "humans".
The arrogance of man in his treatment of the innocents amazes me, appals me and breaks my heart. My biggest frustration is that, no matter what I do as a long-time activist and as a feeling being, it is never enough. Depraved man thinks of and carries out more and more atrocities with not even a hint of conscience. Perhaps soon, when an animal is murdered, the term "animal cruelty" will no longer apply; the term will become "animal murder". Maybe then, man might realize that the punishment will fit the crime. My dream is for a better world where all species may co-exist in peace; unfortunately, that is what is – a dream.
Method
If a great change is to override human tyranny of animals,
a great collection of human minds will by word and deed
authorize such change. And the inevitable opposition will
appear to be opposed to the decrees of Justice itself,
rather than the fervent desires of a compassionate
multitude. Factual cause, however shocking, can
incite 'desires' for a legal and moral change of
the moral status of animals broadly defined.
My use of 'factual cause' now brings from
6 to 10 thousand visits to my Web site
every week. A plethora of such sites
would theoretically be a telling
influence in the quest for
justice for animals.
ABOLITION IS THE ONLY ROUTE TO ANIMAL LOVE...
I don't care whether animals are intelligent or not (I KNOW they ALL are); I don't care if they have hoofs, wings, paws, beaks, trunks, and don't care HOW they live in their own FREE habitats... All I care is that NO being whatsoever should be taken away from their own habitats, families, friends for any reason whatsoever... not one only animal, not even to "save thousands of human lives!"
Anyone can 'love' an animal. Only those who RESPECT them will want total abolition of their slavery, even if it means that humans will never be allowed to domesticate them for companionship! God well knows the countless tortures and murders inflicted on animal companions by their own "owners"...
Sorry to say that as things stand at present, I feel that only a total annihilation of humans, without leaving any seed behind, will allow ALL animals for the first time in millennia to live a well deserved free, full and natural life.
Thank you, Alan, of Cetacea Defence in the UK, for this wonderfully powerful message!!! I ask God and the Powers to be for you to live a very long life!!! :o)
Why are are animal activists so radical? - It's simple common sense.
Because every animal with legs deserves the right to run,
every animal with wings deserves the right to fly,
and every animal with fins deserves the right to swim.
I ask you, is that so radical?
I would be very happy for my name to go down in history as someone who cares about animals. Someone once said that if misery had a bad smell, then we would be kinder because we couldn't bear to live with the awful smell that there would be with all the suffering, animal and human, in the world. I am particularly concerned with the many forms of animal suffering because they have no voice so we must speak for them. Sometimes I think I must go mad when I think of all the vile things people do to animals – you just have to do what you can, and try to live with the rest, but it's so hard.
Animal Slavery – Non-human animals share much with us humans, especially mammals and birds. We all have brains, hearts, livers, eyes, legs, pain receptors, a CNS etc. We all eat, sleep, defend ourselves and reproduce. We (nearly) all look after our babies. We all have emotional lives and an interest in living a free life. Let us start to put an end to animal slavery in all it's forms. Let us live and let live. Humans may have to manage things to rectify the wrongs of the massive livestock production but we can do it with compassion, love and consideration of all.
May compassion for all beings encircle this Earth!
Justice for all God's creatures – Quaker Concern for Animals in Britain is a small, but committed, animal advocacy group, informally linked to The Religious Society of Friends. Quakers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were quietly influential in the campaign against the slave trade and we consider it is now time to work to extend our testimony to justice to include our fellow species, God’s creatures too.
To this end, we work with like-minded people of all faiths and pursue an active interfaith policy. To quote the Unitarian affirmation, we believe in the interconnectedness of all beings and, in common with the religions emanating from India, the precept of Ahimsa – harmlessness.
As the early American Quaker, John Woolman, said:
"To say we love God, and at the same time exercise cruelty toward the least creature, is a contradiction in itself".
"YOUR DOLPHINS" - We cannot fathom the pleasure that people derive from animal abuse. All sea mammals fall prey to human cruelty in different ways. All these and many more of these structural events reflect a total ignorance, or worse disdain for the life of our fellow sentient beings. But there are some lights of hope. Paul Watson from Sea Shepherd fights Japan in its notorious illegal whaling practice. At this very moment Francois Hugo of Seal Alert S.A. fights the Namibian massacre of thousands of suckling Cape Fur Seals in an already dwindling population. And Alan Cooper fights the totally inadequate dolphinarium in Nuremberg where dolphins are dying as they are kept under circumstances that have no shred of resemblance of their natural habitat. And that is not all that these wonderful people are doing. We fully support all actions that will change the miserable lives of misunderstood and maltreated animals for the better. A people that mistreats its animals has a long way to go towards civilization. Success Alan with your fantastic work.
Abusing animals = abusing humans - When a human being dominates an animal in the form of abuse (cruel confinement, excessive punishment, lack of emotional/mental/physical stimulus, etc) he/she teaches other humans that cruelty is condoned. And, as humans are animals, too, this form of behaviour is often replicated amongst the human race. So there is no separation when cruelty is concerned: it's not OK to abuse one species and not another; it's not okay to abuse one species in "x" circumstance and not in "y." Abuse is black and white: and sadly, it's addictive. When a human is conditioned to act in a certain way (with repetitive behaviour) it becomes easier to carry out other acts in future.
To stop the cycle of abuse, one must look at his/her behaviour towards all living things, and recognize that although we have developed technologies and other modernizations; we are a part of an ecosystem and are not exclusive. Without animals and plants we could not flourish, therefore the single most important emotion we need to embrace is RESPECT – of all living things. Only then can we hope to live in harmony and not in domination.
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