Man as Master
The low down on man's treatment of animals

Man has walked on the Moon, unravelled the human genome and discovered that no red men live on Mars. But for all our scientific and technological advancements, we do not seem to have made much progress in one area - our treatment of animals.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Tanny Chia

<eastciti.com, September 8>
Immortalised in George Owen's Animal Farm is a line that states, "All animals are equal but some more equal than others". Originally written as a satire of the Communist regime, this classic might as well had been written to reflect the unequal and often abusive treatment ladled onto animals by humans, high up there on the animal chain. Whether it is a natural birthright that we be superior, or just a presumption passed down as fact from eons ago, man has proven time and time again that we are not worthy masters. Or at least our actions show that we are not.

Just recently, a colleague forwarded an e-mail petition against the horrifying conditions of over 10,000 bears farmed for bile in China. I use 'farm' because these poor creatures were not living any semblance of a life. Imprisoned in cages so small, they can neither move nor scratch themselves, the bears are tormented by pain for 15 years, during which a tube is put through their gall bladder to draw bile. And just what medicinal efficacies that bile has that could justify this totally inhumane treatment? It is claimed that bear's bile can cure kidney stones and headaches, and is useful as an aphrodisiac - assertions that have not been scientifically-proven. Is this just an isolated case of human cruelty? We know it is not.

In the name of man's everlasting search for sparkling health, inspirational sex life, delectable cuisine and high fashion, elephants have had their tusks harvested, tigers their penises, bears their paws, monkeys their brains and various animals their fur. How did we get to this place where all creation is servitude to our every whim and fancy, whatever the cost may be? Perhaps, it all started when some bright spark back then decided that humans are the only conscious being around and should therefore be centre of the universe. This affront to animals culminated with philosopher Rene Descartes declaring in the 17th century that all animals are mere automata that feel neither pleasure nor pain, thus paving the way for experimentation and dissection of living animals without the use of anaesthesia, despite their various yelps and howls. We now know from scientific evidence that animals have nervous systems that are as developed as ours and feel pain and discomfort as much as we do.

So, what do we do now that we know that animals can feel the edge of a knife like we can? If we choose to consider them, the ways in which we can contribute to a more humane society are many. However, many of us prefer to turn a blind eye as the implications of getting involved are too far-reaching and more importantly, may change the way we choose to live our life. Besides the high profile cases of wild animals being poached to extinction and domestic pets being ill-treated, most of us are unaware, and choose not to think, of a startling fact - that we unwittingly partake in the daily abuse of animals around the world. Many new and wonderful drugs and cosmetics produced by pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies are first tested on animals in vivisection (cutting of live tissue) labs. These literal lab rats are neglected, abused, starved and mutilated for the sake of improving conditions for modern men and to satisfy our vanity.

Another uncomfortable reality is the downright inhumane conditions of factory farms where the majority of livestock we consume comes from. Due to the need to cut down costs and meet increasing demand, room for the animals is kept to a minimum. More often than not, there is barely enough room to stand and stay alive. Egg-producing hens are routinely starved so they will molt and lay more eggs. On the other hand, chickens headed for the slaughterhouse live in 23-hour daylight conditions so that they can be tricked into eating all day and thus, fatten up faster. Pigs kept in such crowded and unstimulating conditions as farm factories vent their frustration by gnawing on the tails of other pigs. To 'solve' this problem, farmers cut off their tails, without anaesthesia. Perpetual standing on concrete floors causes deformities to the pigs' legs. To keep this inconvenience from affecting the quality of their output, farmers found an easy solution - slaughter the pigs before serious deformities set in. To an unbiased mind, all these are pure and unadulterated cases of animal abuse. But why doesn't the law which punishes ill-treatment of domestic animals slap these farm operators with charges of animal abuse and march them to the courts? Because somehow, poultry and livestock fall under a different set of rules.

Finding the solution to these very disturbing facts of animal abuse is far from easy, especially when there are certain advantages in terms of medical and scientific research on animals. But the question that begs to be answered is: Is the immortality of man so important that it justifies such painful and often inhumane treatment of animals? I hope each of us will decide 'no'. While we cannot hope for a sudden tide of change in attitude towards animals, each individual can take little steps that will contribute to a more humane society in the long run. Awareness begets action. There are already numerous options available for animal-friendly products and produce from organic farms where animals are raised in considerably less deplorable conditions. You make the choice.

All pictures courtesy of Farm Sanctuary.

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