ANIMAL RIGHTS Part 4: Chickens, Whales, Cats

(Photographs found on Google images)

Chickens:  They get the same level of respect as pigs = none. They are smart animals given the least consideration out of all the farm animals. Chickens are raised in cramped cages where they can’t move around. When they’re old enough, they’re put in a chamber and gassed with poison. There are too many chickens for farmers to bother killing them by hand so they kill them in mass. Some farers also give chickens special growth hormones so they will have more proportions in the parts of their body focused on consumption such as the breast and thighs. And why should we care? It’s just a bird. Unlike mammals, birds don’t seem to be as cuddly and affectionate. (Except for penguins of course – a species of bird from an entirely different continent that are praised and awed over in many movies and photographs).

Isn’t it sad that the only way an animal’s life can be given worth by human standards is if it’s of some use to people? Nothing outside of human life is seen as having the same intrinsic, natural, inherent, God-given right to an existence unless it has a purpose to humans. (Sure animals are given sympathy because they are sentient, but their lives are rarely weighed on the same level as humans). Even though humans Are animals –mammals to be specific. Even though animals aren’t slugs or sponges and have sentient bodies and intelligent or instinctual minds. Their lives mean nothing. And even though a chicken’s life is of some use to humans in terms of food, their lives being taken still don’t amount to anything. They are not warranted respect. [When people Don’t respect animals, animals Always suffer]

Whales:   The term majestic comes to mind - especially when you think of a humpback whale breaching the surface and soaring for a moment before they envelope themselves back into the sea. (Personally Orcas are my favorite. Free Willy! –Sorry white sperm whale from Moby Dick…) They are beautiful and there’s something about them that seems ancient and wise.

In Japan, much like the dolphins, whales are hunted for meat. The whales are harpooned and drawn in by ropes, dangled upside down, and stabbed with spears. They are then severed into chunks and sold at market. The Discovery Channel has a well known show called Whale Wars where men try to prevent these Japanese ships from killing the whales. For me, the worst part about the whole situation is that some of the whales killed are pregnant. It takes whale a Long time to breed, give birth, and raise a calf to adulthood. To kill a mother and its unborn in such a cruel, violent way is about as inhumane as it gets. Most hunters who go after deer have enough respect for the animal not to kill does during certain seasons, and certainly not those with fawns. [When people Don’t respect animals, animals Always suffer]



Cats:   I don’t need to explain what cats mean to American people. Just look on Youtube.

In Japan they put kittens in jars. They are called Bonsai kittens. By putting kittens in jars it halts their growth and they stay small – a preferred sized to the people doing it. The kittens suffer from being suffocated and nearly starving while in the jars. They have growing pains, but no room to grow. Imagine a little kid shoved in a tiny compact box for months so that they are forced to stay small in size. [When people Don’t respect animals, animals Always suffer]