The Great Divide

When thinking about animal welfare, I tend to get caught up in the the more visible problems in our society – companion animals and factory farming. However, this week, I got a cold dose of reality while researching this post about animals used in research and testing. Take for example this quote from The American Physiological Society, a non-profit dedicated to scientific research in or related to physiological sciences.

“Animals are necessary to medical research when it is impractical or unethical to use humans…However, the most important reason why animals are used is that it would be wrong to deliberately expose human beings to health risks in order to observe the course of a disease”. [emphasis mine]

Or a neurosurgeon from the U.K. that says:

“People talk about cosmetics being the ultimate evil. But beautifying oneself has been going on since we were cavemen. If it’s proven to reduce suffering through animals tests, it’s not wrong to use them.”

While I think we could debate the issue from many angles, it seems like the basic complaint about animals in research comes down to one thing: morality. Some people consider it a justified cost of life to ensure human safety and progress, others do not.

I will admit, this is a deeper issue for me on a very personal level. I was born with a condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a neurological condition similar to Multiple Sclerosis. While I feel blessed to still be walking around and living a fairly normal life, many would say the only hope of a cure comes through drug tests on animals.

Unfortunately, animal testing is not just for drugs that cure disease. Animals are also used to test the safety and efficacy of personal care products, pesticides, even chemicals and biological agents used in warfare. While the pressure of animals rights organizations has brought some of the issue to the attention of the public and media, there is still a long way to go in creating an alternative set of procedures that are trusted and accepted. The real problem is that as a society we have convinced ourselves that it is justified to take the lives of animals to ensure our own safety and advancement.

While I am inclined to say we have more of a right as individuals to choose how we consume animals for food, I can find no justification for animal testing in any form. In my opinion, it is hard to deny that we have all evolved from a common descent no matter which religious or sociological filters are applied to the subject. To me, this means we are all interconnected in this world and therefore interdependent on one another.

Humans have been given the gift of evolved thought and the ability to rationalize and solve complex problems. While I don’t want families and individuals to suffer from the perils of disease or products that are dangerous, I think we should use our minds to develop alternatives. It simply isn’t good enough to say we can’t – that animals are the only way to develop cures and safety protocols. This simply isn’t true and is really a picture of grotesque laziness. Imagine if, in developing computers or space travel, we said, as individuals or as a nation, “we can’t”. Where would we be today?

The good news is that you can do something about this issue both in your daily purchases and in your actions. Check out the Leaping Bunny for a directory of products that are not tested on animals. If you want to go even further, another easy solution is to look for personal care products that have the vegan label. This means they were not tested on animals, and contain no animal products. Be aware, however, there is no regulatory body to ensure these claims so it is best to research who you are buying from. Companies like Aubrey Organics will not only disclose all of their ingredients, but will also actually talk to you about their origin and safety. The other thing you can do is look for opportunities to dialogue with the government about animal testing issues. You can find the contact information for nearly all government agencies here.

As much as I would love to wake up one day and see my disease gone, I would never ask an animal to die for its cure. The cost simply outweighs the benefit. Who am I to say that I am worth it? Who are we as a race to say we are more important or valuable than animals? What some call progress, I tend to see as going backwards.

“A man is ethical only when life, as such, is sacred to him, that of plants and animals as that of his fellow men, and when he devotes himself helpfully to all life that is in need of help”. – Dr. Albert Schweitzer

When I was a kid, I grew up in Weaverville, California. It was about 5 hours from San Francisco, and it consisted of a wonderful mix of people ranging from P.h.D.s who couldn’t handle the rat race to mountaineers that were descendants of the gold miners. I grew up fishing, and camping, and riding horses way up into the mountains to learn about botany and appreciate the beauty of my surroundings. Looking back, it was a magic time, and one I hope to someday share with my kids.

One of the things that was incredibly clear to me, even at an early age, was the tremendous respect for the animals with which we shared the landscape. It was not uncommon to have wild animals wander onto your property – sometimes mistakenly, and sometimes in search of food and drink. By the time I was old enough to remember, I had seen mountain lions, rattle snakes, mountain goats, lynx, bears, and so on. They were just a part of life, and an integral factor in the delicate balance of the ecosystem.

 River in the Trinity Alps

I guess I have always carried this with me somewhere deep inside. Granted, I am much more of a city wuss now – I would cry like a school girl if I ran into a rattlesnake in our yard today – but I still have a deep respect for the “wild kingdom“. Nature is the closest example I have seen of perfection – when left alone by man, it is in harmony with itself and truly sustainable.

Unfortunately today, our undeveloped areas are shrinking rapidly. Urban sprawl and population explosion are pushing people further and further out into areas where the wild things are. This presents both sides with a very interesting problem, and one where the humans usually win out. I would encourage you to read more about some of the most vexing problems between wildlife and humans here and here.

If you think about it, nearly every modern human activity interferes with how nature was designed to remain balanced. We build roads, cross oceans, fly through the air, dam rivers, etc – all in the name of progress and modernization. Usually this process leaves the wild animals more pressed for habitat, and more susceptible to problems.

Let me be clear: I am not saying humans should just disappear so that the wild could return to its original state. But I do think a more sustainable future is one where we consider the impact we have upon nature. In my not-so-distant past, I can remember seeing this happen. Weaverville may not have been perfect, but in general, the majority of the population lived in much better balance with nature. I believe we have to consider this going forward not just in the US, but all around the globe.

“One is constantly reminded of the infinite lavishness and fertility of Nature’s inexhaustible abundance amid what seem enormous waste. And yet when we look into any of her operations that lie within reach of our minds, we learn that no particle of her material is wasted or worn out. It is eternally flowing from use to use, beauty to yet higher beauty: and we soon cease to lament waste and death, and rather rejoice and exult in the imperishable, unspendable wealth of the universe, and faithfully watch and wait the reappearance of everything that melts and fades and dies about us, feeling sure that its next appearance will be better and more beautiful than the last.” - John Muir

The other day I was driving down the highway and talking on the phone with my mom when I nearly drove off the road. “You bastard — what, oh sorry, Mom. Let me call you back.”

As I slowed down and blinked my eyes to make sure I was indeed present in the situation, I witnessed a man driving a pickup truck that was carrying a trailer. Inside were sheep packed so tightly they could not have moved even if they wanted to. A few had their heads jammed sideways, and in some cases they were squished into the wall of the trailer so tightly that they were being pushed up above the other sheep. It was about 90º outside and humid, and they weren’t sheared, so their wool coats were very thick.

Maybe it was because I was stressed, but I broke down and felt tears in the corners of my eyes. I felt like I wanted to flip the guy off, or punch him, or yell nasty things at him – I wished my Blackberry had a camera. But more than the immediate frustration, I was deeply saddened by the reality I was witnessing.

Because of the incredible amount of abuse that happens to farm animals, I will try to address the root of the problem in this post rather than focus on individual abuses. I would encourage you to check out the Humane Society’ssection on farm animals to learn more about some of the most pressing issues. You might also want to start here.

 My encounter with the sheep made me think back to our recentroadtrip to Las Vegas. As we drove through the central valley, one of the most prolific agricltural lands on earth, I was amazed by the amount of animals I saw out the window. In almost every direction you could see animals in feedlots, trucks, or large scale CAFOs(concentrated animal feeding operations). Calloused farmers and their workers operated these monsters like nothing was out of the ordinary – which leads me to my point – nothing was out of the ordinary. Farm animals in our country suffer needlessly each day and for nothing more than human greed and profit motive. In most cases they do not live by the same laws and standards our domestic pets enjoy, and often they are viewed as nothing more than a commodity item that is disposable when their productivity runs out.

In our culture, we have developed an incredible insensitivity to this issue. We power through animal products with little to no thought about where they come from. The entire system has been designed to make it this way. From supermarkets and fast food to dense urban areas void of any rural influence, we have lost touch with the farm animals who provide us with so much. This gap in reality makes for an extremely easy marketing environment – tell them what they want to hear and it will be so. As we continue to distance ourselves from what it takes to produce animal products, the demand is growing tremedously. This means more potential profits, more suffering, and so it goes deeper into a viscous cycle that leaves the animals facing a grim future.

The truth is, taking an animals life for food or goods is never going to be a pretty thing, nor will people ever stop doing it. We cannot kid ourselves and think our whole world will turn vegan. Personally I think trying to push people this way is counter-productive. However, conventional animal farming doesn’t have to be the cruel, mechanized monstrosity that it is today. We have the power to make choices and enact change. Modern farmers who participate in the practices I’ve discussed are only trying to keep up with the demand that we create in the marketplace. Granted, they should be ashamed of their blatent lack of ethics, but still, it is not only their fault. We are all responsible.

I still think of those poor sheep in the back of that truck. I think of the cows that I saw in the trucks throughout the central valley, or the massive conventional dairies I pass each time I drive up the freeway. I think of these things and I become sad deep inside because it feels like such an uphill battle. I am sure that I am not alone in this frustration. As our society cranks forward at ever faster speeds, it can feel like we are just holding on for the ride.

The good news is that those of use who are trying are making a difference in the farm animal reality really are. By supporting those producers who are actually doing it right, we help to create demand in areas that will not tolerate such horrific conditions. We still have a long way to go, but I think we are at the start of an era that will no longer tolerate injustice – be it towards animals, people or otherwise.

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”– R. Buckminster Fuller

Last week, you might have read my post about how I had come to a crossroads, and was now about to write a series of posts about animals and how our actions affect them both positively and negatively. I also promised to write this in a way that wasn’t condescending or preachy, because we all know how annoying that can be. So I hope you will bear with me and take what I write with your own interpretation. I also hope you will share some of your thoughts with me in the comments so we can have a constructive dialougue about this.

PETS

 For many of us, having pets is one of the most enjoyable experiences in our lives. I have never met anyone who doesn’t enjoy coming home from a long day and having your dog wag its tail and unconditionally love you. Or maybe you aren’t a dog person, but the sight of your cat emerging from their insanely difficult day of napping to come over and give you a meow melts your heart. Whatever it is, pets are a large part of our daily lives. In fact, over 163 million American homes have one or more pets, and we spend over $40 billion on them annually.

For most of us, the word “pets” conjures up our own experiences of a happy animal who loves to be with us. They sleep on a nice bed, eat healthy food, and otherwise have a pretty good life. Sure, they may have to put up with things like waiting for us while we work, or not always getting a walk when you are sick or tired, but they have shelter, companionship, and someone to take them to the vet when they get sick or injured.

Looming on the other side of this, however, are some fairly startling statistics. Each year between three and four million dogs and cats are euthanized simply because they cannot find a home. This is only the reported number of “humane deaths” at animal shelters – many reports put the number much higher when you begin to consider the number of deaths that aren’t reported or included from industries such as racing and breeding facilities. In addition, many animals are left alone for long periods of time without food or water, stolen and sold toanimal research facilities, or used as bait in dog-fighting facilities. Even worse are the millions of domestic animals that are accidentally caught in traps used to kill animals for fur. (*Warning – Link contains graphic images.) There are also a staggering amount of dogs and cats used to create fur for the fashion industry. You can read more about this horrific industry here. (*Warning – Not for the faint of heart.)

 Going further, we see examples in our everyday lives of people who view animals as objects that are to be owned and controlled with no regard to their feelings, emotions, or well-being. National sports starsand hip-hop artists highlight and promote their abuse to our younger generations as well as reinforce the thought that animals are simply property for humans. We see examples of people who hoard animals, and people who simply let their pets go when they grow beyond the “cute” stage. A quick look through the Craigslist pet sectionwill show you hundreds of people who simply cannot keep their pet because they are moving, or having a child, or can’t control them anymore. As one user put it, didn’t you think of these things before you got your pet?

I am not telling you all of these things to be depressing – as Kerry sometimes points out, I can be a bit of a Debbie Downer. My point is that all of us who read this website are committed to a more sustainable world. A world where we have better air and food, better living conditions for those who are less fortunate than us. I consider our pets family members. They have thoughts, and feelings, and are concerned for me as much as I am for them. They are part of my everyday life. So it’s understandable that I have a hard time when people say, “It’s just an animal”. It is like they have forgotten that we are animals too.

While I am still reading and learning as much as I can about our connection to our pets, and truly formulating my opinions on how we interact with them as a culture, my first question would be, how would people feel if it was socially acceptable to treat children and other people like we do animals? I may have gotten all weapy eyed over the blind dog, but how can you not call this guy’s dog his family? Who else does he have in this world? If we are tuly striving for a more sustainable society, I believe one of the first places we have to start is by addressing these types of issues.

“The measure of a society can be how well its people treat its animals.”~Mahatma Gandhi