Written by Fred.
I always thought that eating meat, going to the zoo
or the circus, and keeping pets was normal. Everyone
around me did it, and I never thought about the situations
these animals were in. Even during my training as a
cook/institution cook I prepared and ate this tasty
and healthy meat.
Animal products contain important nutrients for people,
it said in the books, so I didn't have to think about
that. It didn't really matter that these nutrients can
also be found in vegetable products, because meat just
tasted good.
When I was 24, some friends handed me information about
how animals in factory farming are kept. After reading
this and seeing some pictures I started thinking about
consuming meat, and killing animals.
Millions of animals in factory farming spend their lives
locked up in tiny cages… how would I feel if they
did that to me? They burn off beaks, cut teeth and tails
and saw off horns… wouldn't that be very painful?
Fish in fisheries, geese and ducks in battery cages…
so that's normal?
When I realized that animals can experience pain and
stress as well, the choice was easy…. I DON'T want
to be a part of that. So I decided to stop eating meat
and fish, and in the three years that followed I decided
to stop consuming dairy products, eggs and cheese as well.
After living as a vegetarian for three years I started
wondering about all these other foodstuffs. After all,
they also contained animal ingredients… so they were
just as bad.
And how about fur, wool, leather, down, silk, honey
etc.? And detergents, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste,
washing-up liquid, E-numbers?
I decided to collect more information on these products,
and quickly came to a decision. I didn't want to use
animal products or products tested on animals.
Also, I could no longer accept (guilt) the many other
forms of animal suffering, such as hunting for sport,
sport fishing, genetic manipulation, animals in amusement
parks and the circus, pets, etc., so I wanted to do
more to change or stop this.
I became a vegan, and started spreading information
material from various organizations and participating
in signature actions and on-line/e-mail actions. One
year later a friend (who owned computers and an Internet
connection I could use) offered to help me put up my
own web site.
In April of 1999 I put up my site STOP-DIERENLEED (Stop
animal suffering), with the purpose of informing visitors
about the gruesome way in which we as people treat non-human
beings in Holland. I gave information about alternatives,
actions and the many organizations for animal interests
that fight against the exploitation, captivity, abuse
and killing of animals. This change in my lifestyle
also prompted me to find a more suitable line of work.
I worked as a volunteer for an animal shelter for a year, and recently I started working for an animal emergency
organization.
Of the millions of different species on earth, there
is one that oppresses and destroys all others, including
its own kind. This one life form has proclaimed itself
to be the most intelligent/highest life form on earth,
and degraded all those others.
Man…. Extremely intelligent or very stupid?
ALL LIFE IS EQUAL.
Following on from Fred's last sentence: you could say that animals fall within the moral circle of humans and are intrinsically equal in their right to freedom.
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