In Memory of The Forgotten Mothers
We all celebrated Mother’s Day recently but did anyone stop to think about our animal friends such as dogs, cats, cows, chicken and pigs who all fall pregnant and give birth to their own babies. The animals I mentioned (just to name a few) all love and have the natural desire to protect their young at all costs. They are also classified as “sentient beings” which is what us humans are.
Sentient beings all have a nervous system, feel joy, happiness, sadness, pain, emotion and the power to perceive, reason, think and love their families!
Why is it normal in our society to celebrate a dogs or cat’s pregnancy, birthing and nurturing process however we deny cows, chickens and pigs that same process?
If you are not vegan than I can only assume that this thought did not cross your mind as you and your family gathered around for a Mother’s Day lunch/dinner which consists of pork, beef, steak, lamb, chicken with cheese platters and bacon on the side.
If you were celebrating Mother’s Day, I hope you all realise that by having these items on your plate you are directly participating in this barbaric, inhumane, unfair and downright disgusting industry.
How can anyone who claims to love animals eat them?
I am sorry if this offends, but you cannot claim to be an animal lover if you eat them and that is the harsh truth.
Let's view this in a different light. If your dog had puppies or your cat had kittens, I'm sure you celebrated the miracle of birth and life and ensured that your beloved pet and their precious litter were all comfortable and you would be doting on them hand and foot and of course posting on social media the miracle of life sharing these precious moments with your family and friends.
Imagine when your beloved pet has given birth to their babies and they have to endure the same process our farmed animals do? Your pet dog or cat has no rights, is not protected by animal welfare associations. They are looked at and treated as commodities.
A truck pulls up, rips the litter away from your dog or cat and literally tosses fragile babies in the back of a dirty truck with no compassion, no care just tossed in like an old toy not even taking into consideration the fact that these animals are babies and are highly susceptible to breaking bones, damaging organs, and of course instilling the fear of being separated from their mother. These babies are scared, hurt and have no idea why this is happening to them.
You would be outraged and your hands would be tied because there is no law to protect this from happening to your pet.
What right does anybody have to embrace the life of a beloved pet becoming a parent when you totally disregard a cows, chickens and a pigs right to nurture and feed her young? Well, we don’t have any right to do that to any sentient being but steak and chicken salad, right? Wrong! Humans can and are thriving on eliminating all meat, dairy and eggs from their diet.
The American and British dietary association has stated;
“A vegan plant-based diet is nutritionally adequate, healthy and safe for all stages of life, including pregnancy “
When cows, chickens and pigs give birth in factory farming it is normally on hard concrete floors, with no bedding material, soaked with urine and faeces, for a mother pig who has a litter of 9 siblings, she is denied the right to stand or to even turn around. Yes, that is how tight her space is. It is inhumane and downright cruel. Often for a pig if any of her young die, the workers in these factories do not remove the dead babies, forcing the mother pig to lie hopelessly next to or even on top of one or more of her dead babies. The reason behind such small allocated spaces and overcrowding is because it increases profit.
Can you imagine if your beloved pet lost a baby and was forced to lay next to or top of her dead baby? Of course not, you would instantly remove the dead body and attempt to console the mother as best you can.
For a mother cow, her calf is taken within hours if not immediately after birth and her anguished bellows are gone unheard. In many documentaries you often see a baby calf who is denied his or her own mothers milk and forced to drink powdered milk, as the baby calf is thrown onto the back of a truck and taken away, many mother cows are seen chasing after the truck trying to save and catch up with their young all in vain.
If given the chance a mother cow will develop a deep bond with her children, the mother will nurse their calves for as long as they wish (sometimes even when they are larger than their mother). Just like cats, mother cows will groom their calve for hours and when the calve grows into adulthood the calve will also begin to groom her mother.
If given the chance a mother pig will remain with her children for their lifetime, they make large nest-like beds for sleeping and comfort and develop strong bonds over the course of their lives together. Pigs also love to play and engage in mock fighting with each other, similar to play in dogs and other mammals.
Mother hens make amazing mothers and are extremely protective of her children, if feeling threatened by a dangerous situation she will puff up and hide her babies under her wings ensuring that not one single chicken is taken from the coop. Also, if a mother hen senses danger such as low flying pigeons, the mother hen will vocalise to her babies and her babies run directly to their mother for cover.
From learning how these farm animals mother, nurture and love their babies (for life), can anybody tell me the difference between the bond of these animals vs the bond between human mother and human baby???
The following video is not graphic, it is a depiction of a mother cow and her life. I ask you to please watch till the end. Thank you.
How and why are you not disgusted about what happens in factory farms and slaughterhouses knowing that every day you are directly contributing in what you don’t believe in by continuing to be part of the problem every time you purchase meat, dairy and eggs?
"Through the eyes of a baby chicken". (Video goes for 01:56)
Everything shown in this footage is common practice (and legal) in Australia.
WARNING: This video contains graphic vision. Please watch at your own discretion.
However, I highly recommend you stop deliberately guarding yourself against the truth. Regardless of how uncomfortable it makes you, you need to know and see what goes on behind the scenes of this horrendous industry.
Why love one and eat the other?
As described in the dictionary, the word speciesism means the following;
” The assumption of human superiority leading to the exploitation of animals”.
For example, in Australia, it is not socially acceptable, or legal in some cases to eat a dog but it is perfectly acceptable to eat a pig.
The result of society dictating what animals are pets and what animals we eat - has led to speciesism.
Every sentient being on this planet is equal, the difference between species is irrelevant. Its fact they all feel pain regardless.
Speciesism is a form of discrimination such as homosexuality, religious beliefs, race, gender, age.
Speciesism is the concept of discriminating against other beings based on their species. I.e. we love dogs although we eat cows.
All animals should be protected, as sentient beings, they have the will to live long and happy lives just as much as any other species including humans on earth.
In the past, society has had many injustices such as slavery, women’s rights, racism, sexism just to name a few, as we now frown upon these, lets trust that slaughterhouses will become a thing of the past and be looked upon as barbaric, inhumane and unjust.
These practices are now way past the point of us not doing anything about them, we all need to take action now either individually or as a collective.
If we all did this together it would be amazing, although take it upon ourselves one by one we would still end up with the same outcome for a better, kinder and more compassionate world.
If this article pulls on a few of your emotional strings and has got you thinking then I guess I have achieved what I set out to do.
“We Will Remember the Forgotten Mothers”
If you are interested in learning more about how to become a vegan, or you are genuinely curious as to what it means to be vegan and how we can save the animals. Look at veganism as a lifestyle, not a diet.
I have listed some videos that I personally recommend for all to see.
Gary Yourofski Best Speech Ever
You Will Never Look at Your Life in the Same Way Again | Eye-Opening Speech!
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