28 - Friday, December 3, 1993 - North Shore News

Evolve to a hig!

From page 28

We live in a wasteful society.
Many people are trying to be en-
vironmentally friendly by recycl-
ing, reusing, and even carpooling.

It surprises me that the same
people will chow down on a steak
or hamburger and think nothing
of it. | think that anyone who
really cares about our environment
would choose a vegetarian
lifestyle.

It is time for people to stop ig-
noring reality and recognize that
by eating meat they are destroying
our environment, wasting natural
resources and poisoning their
bodies.

Hen stress

Meat-eaters are also supporting
the torture of animals.

There are no faws to protect
farm animals. Farm animals are
excluded from the Federal Animal
Welfare Act. It is left entirely up
to the company on how they treat
the animals, as long as it is in the
name of profit and production.

Some factory farm animals are

caged alone without any social
contact, others are crowded so
tightly together that they practise
stress-induced cannibalism.
.. Due to extreme crowding, can-
nibalism is common amongst hogs
and laying hens raised in factory
farm conditions. ;

These creatures spend their en-
tire lifetime crowded in cages
barely larger than their own
bodies. They are unable to groom
themselves, stretch their legs, or
even turn around, so they are
constantly in a state of stress.

Veterinarians say that when
animals are confined and under
stress, their auto-immune systems
are affected and they are prone to
infectious diseases. This is why
they are constantly fed antibiotics.

Smali wire cages are used in

Last week we asked what you
think of teens who express
themselves by writing grafitti
on schools or damaging
property.

“1 think writing grafitti on

’ ‘schools is wasted energy and

‘definitely damaging property

— it doesn’t belong to them,
-they don’t have any right.

‘If they are expressing

themselves that’s ail right, but
‘they shouid find a much bet-
ter way of doing it,
“cleaning up the neighborhood
or doing something for the

hike’

egg-laying factories, where five
hens are stuffed into one cage,
unable to stretch their wings,
walk, scratch, or perch.

The hens suffer major foot
damage due to the wire floor of
the cages. They also suffer feather
loss and other injuries. Agitated
birds peck at the injuries of other
hens,

Factories attempt te control the
cannibalism by mutilating hens’
beaks with a hot blade (an ex-
tremely painful procedure).

Although most of the hens are
disease-ridden and injured,
veterinary care does not exist in
the factories. Mortality and
disease rates are high and are
considered economically accept-
able,

Hog stress

Hogs are commonly weaned at
three weeks and then put into tiny
cement pens, They are not pro-
vided with straw or bedding. Due
to stress, cannibalism and_ tail
biting occurs,

There are well over a million
pregnant sows at this moment
which have been artificially in-
seminated, chained to the floor of
a cement-bottomed cage, and will
spend their entire pregnancy there.

Is this acceptable treatment? Do
you want to support this cruelty?

If an individual treated his or
her cat or dog in this manner,
they would be charged in a court
of law. So why do so many of us
think it is OK for farm animals to
be treated this way?

Quoting my. favorite bumper
sticker, “‘If you love animals
called PETS, why do you eat
animals called DINNER?”

It is time that people stop sup-
porting this torture and evolve to
a higher way of eating. We do not
have the right to take another liv-
ing, breathing, animal’s life. We

community through com-
munity service.

ARTER YOU.
GO SHOPPING,
WHY NOT _
GO FISHING?

When holiday shopping leaves your head swimming,
we recommend that you swim on in to Fish & Co.
We're right in the heart of downtown, and a steaming bow! of
our famous Stoertebecker soup will warm the cockles of your
heart. Or ery our cockles. Or mussels. Our menu reads like a
holiday wish list, and tastes considerably better. As we say at
Fish & Co., “Best fishes for the holiday season?

We're famous for fish. And the company they keep.

do not need to eat meat to sur-
vive. In fact we are much better
off if we don't.

Remember ... every time you
eat that hamburger, bacon,
chicken leg, or eat that egg, you
are threatening your personal
health and the health of the planet
and you are supporting the torture
and misery of your innocent
animat friends.

This opinion piece is by
Margaret Bryant, a 17-year-old

ier Way of eating

Grade 12 student at Sutherland
secondary school. She a vegetarian
who is into cycling, skiing, and
reading. A special interest of hers
is animal rights.

The facts in this article were
derived trom pamptilets produced
by Canada Earth Save, an en-
vironmental and ethics awareness
group, and the Humane Farming
Association, an American animal
rights group.

‘December 9
JURASSIC PARK ;
THE FUGITIVE

7 COOL RUNNINGS |

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