The Future of all Earth’s Animals

An Anthology of Animal Welfare Commentaries

Becky Berg , Tanasha Krull, Abbey Taubert

1
An Anthology of Animal Welfare Commentaries
The Future of all Earth’s Animals
Authors: Becky Berg , Tanasha Krull, Abbey Taubert
Table of Contents
Introduction to Abbey Taubert’s “Treat Animals How You Would Want to be Treated”
Page 1

“Treat Animals How You Would Want to be Treated” Abbey Taubert

Pages 2-7

An in-depth article on Animal Consciousness that will leave you feeling well
informed on animal ethical issues. Taubert leaves the reader questioning how
animals are and should be treated.

Introduction to Tanasha Krull’s “When Production “Meats” Animals, Not All Goes Well”
Page 8

“When Production “Meats” Animals, Not All Goes Well” Tanasha Krull
Pages 9-14

Where your food comes from should and does matter. This is the topic of Krull’s
commentary that will leave you researching the location of your food sources and
how that meat came to be.

Introduction to Becky Berg’s “PETA’s Ideal Future: No Meat Consumption”

Page 15

“PETA’s Ideal Future: No Meat Consumption” Becky Berg

Pages 16-21

Berg explains PETA’s (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) idealistic future
on everyone become vegetarians and maybe will give you enough reason to try
today.

Conclusion to “The Future of all Earth’s Animals”

Page 22

Works Cited for “The Future of all Earth’s Animals”

Page 23
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

In Abbey Taubert’s commentary, Treat Animal’s Like You Would Like

to be Treated, she incorporates many ideas as to why animals have a
conscious. The anthology is opening up with this commentary in order to give
background into animal welfare as a whole. Readers will look into all of the
aspects as to why animals do have a conscious and why something needs to
be done to protect the animals as well as their rights. Later on readers will
explore deeper into specific aspects of animal welfare, including
vegetarianism and production farms. This commentary will help you with
your understandings when you later read PETA’s Ideal Future: No Meat
Consumption by Becky Berg and Tanasha Krull’s commentary When
Production “Meats” Animals, Not All Goes Well. By having a good
understanding on the aspects of animal consciousness you can get a deeper
grasp into the articles collected in the anthology.

1
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

Treat Animals Like You Would Want to be Treated

By: Abbey Taubert

We all have some sort of knowledge or opinion on animal rights and an

animal’s consciousness with the debate sparking in the past few years, but do
most of us really know the truth behind what is actually happening? One
might find it hard to believe that animals can in fact have a conscious and
feelings. While others strongly support animals and want to give them full
rights just like humans. Is animal rights going to far? Do animals have a
conscious? Well, we all may have different opinions on this particular
controversial issue. In my opinion I feel as if we have taken animals rights to
the extreme and do not hesitate to think of the fact that animals might hold
emotions in the same way that us humans do. There are many recent medical
tests being done on animals as well as taking a deeper look into the minds of
different species of animals to see how they think, but the answer of whether
animals do have a conscious or not may be a hard one to grasp.
It is proven that animals in fact do have some type of conscious
observant to the human eye. Researchers have conducted many different
tests on animals ranging from as small as worms to as large as chimpanzees
(Kluger). There have been many tests done on larger scale animals that
support the evidence of animal consciousness. One of the most common types
of research done to these animals is the mirror test. Researches place the
animal, most commonly elephants, apes and dolphins, in front of a mirror
with something significantly different about the animal, such as a bracelet on
their wrist, or a mark on their forehead. With these changes the animal
immediately reacts to the difference made on their body. However when a
kitten sees itself in the mirror it reacts in a sense that it feels there is a
playmate on the other side. This supports that some animals can think and
can recognize the differences on themselves. This test however only appears
effective on certain animals and not all of them. The test does show that
animals are aware of their surroundings and changes. What comes in to
question here is how can anyone harmfully hurt an animal that thinks and
feels in a fairly same way that they think and feel?
Richard Louv wrote the book, “Last Child in the Woods”, and it defends
hunting and fishing. He believes that it is difficult to see that killing an
animal for sport shows reverence for the animal. He also stated that, “the
central question of whether fish feel pain depends on your definition on pain
and suffering,” (Crain). Crain did not believe that animals had a conscious
and could think and feel in a relevant way to humans. I find his viewpoints to

2
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

be wrong. I think that it is possible to prove that fish and other animals are
experiencing suffering when you can clearly see them gasping for air as they
are wounded.
According to the thoughts of Professor Aubrey Manning he feels that
we should re-evaluate our view on animal cognition, also known as thinking.
He feels that animals do have a state of mind but it is in fact much simpler
than humans (Whipple). This is where the issue of being humane or not to
animals comes in to play. My idea of being inhumane towards animals would
be anything that would put the animal in harm or pain. In my opinion I feel
that the majority of animals should have the same rights as humans do. I feel
that animals shouldn’t be punished just because they can be. With more
research being conducted into animal consciousness I find that we as humans
will be remarkably surprised as to how close in nature animals actually are
to us.
Other ways that support animal consciousness are by doing direct
comparisons among humans and animals. One of the main ways this is done
is by looking at the brain size of animals in regard to their body size. Many of
us may be surprised of the results that came from this particular experiment.
The majority of humans would be quick to guess that humans would have the
largest brain in regard to their body size. Most would think that just because
humans are superior in the land we live and are dominant in the world today
would mean that they would have the largest brain of any given species.
However, this is definitely not the case. There have been recent studies done
that support this thought.
While you may think the human brain is big weighing approximately 3
pounds. Animals such as the dolphin or killer whale are equipped with
significantly larger brains in regard to their body size. What’s even more
surprising is that the brain of an Etruscan shrew ways 0.1 grams which, in
accordance to its tiny body is larger than humans. This study rules out that
just because humans have a large brain does not make them smarter, or
more conscious than other species around the world (Kluger). Humans tend
to be dominant in thinking they can conquer anything while animals are just
steps on the road. However there still needs to be more evidence that proves
to the non-believers that animals have feelings and emotion. Just because
they have a significantly larger brain does not mean they function exactly
like humans do or have the same intelligence. There needs to be more
research done to test animals intelligence in regards to their brain size.
However this finding may be a step in the right direction to support the

3
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

evidence that animals do have consciousness. With further research we can

prove that this is true and help support animals and their rights.
Another way promoting animal consciousness is looks into the way animals
react to one another. It is proven fact that there are cultural traditions
among various species of animals. With habits being passed down from one
generation to the next this proves that animals contain some sort of
knowledge. Researchers have also found that there is evidence of animal
imitation-mimicracy (Helton). This has helped researchers find that animals
are able to obtain social learning, in the sense that they are trying to find a
way for animals to communicate with them. These findings are just another
step that help support people in their beliefs that animals do have a
conscious. I find that with all of this evidence it should help support that
animals should not be treated unethically.
Recent scientists have refused to conduct more research regarding
animal consciousness. They find that it is impossible to obtain objective
evidence without subjective experiences (Griffin). I find that this statement is
not a good reason for why research shouldn’t be conducted. I feel that animals
are living, breathing organisms and should get just the same amount of
treatment and research as humans do. There are also people in the world
who do not believe in animal consciousness solely because the Bible states
that humans are dominant over everything. I find this to be somewhat true,
we as humans can’t let animals take over but we can limit the ways we
unethically treatment. I feel that more needs to be done in order to dig deeper
into the meaning of animal consciousness.
Some scientists believe that even though animals often are able to
know simple facts, they do knot know that they know (Kluger). We know this
because as humans we assume that the animals know something because
they can use human language to express distinction. Many animals brought
up by humans can understand them in a sense. We can teach a dog to sit,
stay, and shake or anything that we may want to do. However, the animal
cannot speak back in a language we would comprehend; yet they may
understand exactly what we are telling them to do. This research concludes
that animals think consciously about what is asked of them to do when they
face these types of experiments.
Animal testing sometimes is done for the use of testing personal care
products. I do not agree with this type of testing. This causes pain to the
animals and can cause permanent damage, or even death. There should be
different ways for manufacturers to test their products to see if they are
effective for people. I find testing these products on animals to be unethical
4
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

and bad for the animals, just because they have no say in what is going on to
them doesn’t mean the can’t feel the pain that these people are putting onto
them.
Even though there are many reasons why animal rights should be
considered in the unethical treatment of animals, there is one exception
where I feel it should be allowed and that is in medical research. Even
though the research may be slightly harmful to animals I feel that in the long
run it could help our society out greatly. With the advances in medicine we
could help cure very serious diseases that will not damage our society. By
curing a disease as deadly as cancer by testing on lab animals I find that the
cure for cancer is the greater priority of the two. Yes, there may be negative
effects on the animal but in the long run the curing of cancer will get us
farther in the world.
Some people may also believe that because we live in a world of
natural selection the treatment of animals is ethical. People may believe that
it is necessary for them to survive by eating meat coming from animals; in
some countries this is a necessity for survival. I find that in these extreme
situations unethical treatment of animals is ok and their consciousness
should not be considered. Although from these minor factors that support
animal consciousness I feel that this is not enough for us to think of the
animals before we do something cruel to them.
Overall I believe that we humans should treat animals as if they are
one of us. Being an avid animal lover and owner I find it easy to become
emotionally attached to these organisms. When you live and take care of an
animal for a significant amount of time you start to believe that they are one
of you or are part of your family. If people would take the time to consider the
needs of the animals and think about how alike they are to humans they
might think twice before harming them. There are a large number of
particular research methods that have been done that support this idea that
animals in fact do have a conscious. I think that people need to take a step
back before they harm animals. They need to stop and think about if what
they were doing to the animals, whether or not they would allow it to be done
to themselves.
If we take a look at the facts on animal consciousness we can see that
there is more that needs to be done to fully get something to be taken into
action. However, with all of the research to be done I find it easy to prove
that there is some type of animal consciousness and I feel people need to be
more aware so we can put an end to this inhumane practice. What if you were
put in the position of the animals being treated unethically and couldn’t voice
5
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

your opinion. Would you be ok with researches testing many different

practices on you? I’m guessing for most of you the answer would be, no. Why
then do we not doing anything to protect the animals that are getting treated
wrong even though research shows that they may know exactly what is going
on?
All of the research being done is just another step in the right direction
to prove that animals have a conscious. When we do tests such as the mirror-
test showing that animals can recognize themselves and whom they are but
cannot verbally reach out to us why do we keep harming them? There are
many unanswered questions to this topic but with further research and
studies more could be found out on animal consciousness. With the exception
of medical testing on animals I find the unethical treatment of them to be
wrong. We as humans need to dig deeper into this matter and try to get a
change so that innocent animals will have a chance to survive in the future.

6
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

Reference Page

Crain, William. “Animal Suffering: Learning Not to Care and Not to Know”
Encounter Summer 2009. A22. Print.

Griffin, Donald. Speck, Gayle. “New Evidence of Animal Consciousness” 28

Nov 2002. Print

Helton, William. “Animal Expertise, Conscious or Not”. Apr 2005: A8. Print

Kluger, Jeffrey. “Inside the Minds of Animals” Time 19 Aug 2010:A176.Print

Whipple, Tom. “SO WHY THE LONG FACE?; Do animals really have
emotions? And what are the consequences if they do?” The Times 2
Sept. 2006: A26. Print.

7
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

Factory Farming has become a major part of the food industry and
with this new method comes some advantages but also includes some not so
great disadvantages. Tanasha Krull covers these hindrances and her
interpretation of this new animal production process in her paper, When
Production “Meats” Animals, Not All Goes Well. The article reaches back and
draws from Taubert’s article by discussing animal ethics, but moves forward
by talking about modern times and how factory farming is wrong ethically
and even economically. The topic of overall animal welfare becomes more
intense as the author of this article incorporates individual species, their
treatment, and how you can help. Taubert made prominent how animals
have a conscious and Krull helps you to see that these misconducts are
occurring in the production of your food.

8
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

When Production “Meats” Animals, Not All Goes Well

By: Tanasha Krull

Walking through the grocery story, many people fail to recognize

where their food comes from. The apples are from central Michigan, the
oranges form an orchard in Florida, the vegetables might be from a local
farmer and the chickens from a factory farm in Iowa. Wait, a factory farm?
Many people ask, “What is that?” They say, “I’ve heard many people
complaining about those, but why?” “Are they bad for some reason?” These
are questions that, when brought up in conversation, are tough to answer.
Factory farms are also known as “confined animal feeding operations” or
“intensive livestock operations” (Williams 3). They are seen as a bad thing
ethically due to the harm brought upon the animals raised there and the way
each animal is treated. However, it does have some economic benefits but
these benefits don’t make up for its downfall in all other aspects. It’s wrong
both morally and ethically and has a negative effect not only on animals, but
on humans and the environment, too.
Temple Grandin, a famous autistic woman whose known for her work
in animal production, once said that, “Nature is cruel, but we don’t have to
be” (Grandin). In this statement she was talking about the way
slaughterhouses are run. From the beginning to end, cattle are being treated
like they feel no pain and all of the things being done to them affect the way
they perform as animals. If an animal is overly stressed, they don’t produce
as well because stress inhibits growth, digestion, reproduction, and other
biological functions. An animal becomes stressed by outside factors that
humans don’t understand. An animal, specifically cattle, have a flight zone.
This zone is a circle around the animal and that space is their safe zone. If a
human were to enter this circle, the animal shies away and becomes spooked
causing panic and stress. In a factory farm, there are many procedures done
to each production animal that causes them other types of stress. In the
cattle industry, they may be put through a “dip”. This procedure requires the
cattle to be shoved through a chute, forced into a chemical bath to rid any
insects on them, and then pushed back through another chute out into the
open space. Some cattle become injured in this process and others even drown
(Grandin). This treatment and others like it give factory farming its bad
name. It shows how they need to improve on the moral value in their
facilities and strive to find better ways to work their animals.

9
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

Rose Zuzworsky writes about factory farms in her essay, From the
Marketplace to the Dinner Plate: The Economy, Theology, and Factory
Farming. In this essay she writes about “the reality of factory farming”. Her
belief is that the word “factory” often gives people a negative feel for such a
farm that produces an abundance of livestock and I agree; however, I also
believe that this negative affect is needed since each animal is treated like it
belongs as a piece in a factory (Zuzworksy, 2). Each animal goes through a
series of steps until it reaches the end of its production line and all along the
way something is done to it. Once a chicken is born, it’s de-beaked without
anesthesia and placed into a crowded room for the remainder of its life
(Zuzworksy 178). Here each
chicken will be given
several shots and one of
them is a growth hormone
shot. This shot has been
known to decrease a
chicken’s production time
from sixteen weeks to nine
weeks and since the poultry
This picture shows an example of a poultry factory farm. As
animals are being produced you can see in the picture, the chickens are very crowded and
at a much faster rate, their it would be very hard for them to get to the feed and water.
(Sayre 1).
bones can’t keep up with
their body and due to weight gain being so rapid. Once this happens the
stress on the bones builds and some chickens even break a leg. But these
shots aren’t only negative to the animals, they are also putting harmful
chemicals and steroids into the meat that will ultimately be consumed by
people. This is one of many negative effects factory farms have on people.
Another issue, noted by Nancy Williams in her article, Affected
Ignorance and Animal Suffering: Why our Failure to Debate Factory Farming
Puts Us at Moral Risk, she brings about people’s “affected ignorance”
meaning that a person will choose to disregard the examination of something
that they think would make them immoral. For instance, in this case, people
often choose to overlook where all of their food comes from because if they
were to discover it was humanitarianly incorrect, they would feel like they
were doing something immoral and wrong (Williams 1). This is another
negative effect factory farming has on people. It makes humans feel as if they
are doing something unethical and ultimately some even stop consuming
meat. This shouldn’t be the case. As Temple Grandin states in the movie,
Temple Grandin, "If we didn't eat them (cattle) we wouldn't even have cattle,
10
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

they'd just be funny looking animals in the zoo" (Grandin). Here she is saying
that eating meat is a good thing, it keeps the population of animal species
down and gives people a source of nutrients; however, she goes on to saying
that, “We've got to give those animals a decent life and we've got to give them
a painless death. We owe the animal respect" (Grandin).
Another side to factory farming is the economical side. The ability to
produce a lot of meat for consumption using as little space, feed, and time as
possible. Factory farming tries to allocate, or set aside and keep, as many of
these resources possible so that they can produce as much profit as possible.
Sure, such farming practices have their benefits. According to Gene Hall in
his article, Factory Farms Not so Bad After All, Americans spend on average
less than 10 percent of their income to feed themselves. The “factory farms”
can produce a generally safe and healthy product that almost anyone can
afford. He also says that factory farms create about 20 percent of the jobs in
the United States (Hall 2). The opposing side, Rose Zuzworsky writes about
“the economics of factory farming” as well and here she analyzes that factory
farms aren’t all as productive as they could be (Zuzworsky 179). A farmer
takes out huge loans to start his farming operation and get all of the
equipment necessary to begin and then he puts money into antibiotics and
buildings to confine the animals, which makes his profit to start at a huge
loss. It will take a person starting a factory farm many years to compensate
for all that they took out in loans.
Another aspect economically is that factory farms take away from the
original ranching method. Most of us can remember singing the song, “Ole
McDonald had a farm” and in this song there are many different animals
being raised on one farm and the farm didn’t produce an overwhelming
amount of animals. Maybe my views are too old fashioned, but I believe that
the most effective way to keep ranchers in business is not for one to produce
the entirety of consumption animal needed for a single species, but for many
individual ranchers to own an amount they can handle on their ranch and
effectively take care of so that when combined we have the needed amount of
meat for human consumption.
The amount of health risks factory farming includes is also of extreme
importance when thinking about negative effects factory farming entails.
Approximately two-thirds of the 1,400 known human pathogens are thought
to have originated in animals. According to Laura Sayre, there are five
microbes linked directly to factory farming; Campylobacter, MRSA:
Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, E. coli 0157:H7, and Enterococcus. All of
these diseases are harmful to humans and some of them are even deadly
11
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

(Sayre 2). Factory farming increases the likelihood of these diseases

spreading worldwide not only because on a factory farm all of the animals are
so crowded, but also because of the transportation. No longer does there need
to be a ranch nearby to produce the meat needed for consumption if we can
ship it not only to a neighboring state, but also overseas and between
countries. The spread of the disease increases with the more animals you put
in one area and the further you take them from their originating point.
Another negative effect factory farming has on humans is the toll it
takes on the environment. Laura Sayre tells us how factory farms are
breeding grounds for infectious diseases. These diseases can spread not just
through our food, but in the water, air, and in the bodies of farmers, farm
workers and their families. Once they are spread in the environment, it is
very difficult to get rid of them. Smell and water pollution caused by
concentrated manure is also another negative effect that Sayre points out
(Sayre 1). Sure, these concerns occur whether we produce these animals on a
large scale or not, but with a smaller operation the animals are less
concentrated. The healthy are able to avoid the sick and weak and the
disease won’t spread, at least not as fast as in a heard that is crowded
together. It’s easier to spot a problematic animal and treat it, as well as
manage manure when the number of animals is slightly lessened. The smell
even weakens when there are fewer animals.
But what can be done about factory farming? Since human population
is growing exponentially and there is constantly a need for more food to be
consumed. How can we effectively produce enough animals to meet market
need if we don’t use such methods? I am not saying that these methods
should not be used, but I am saying that they need to be improved upon.
Things that could be looked into and researched are ways to minimize
antibiotic use and also try to find alternative management strategies. Factory
Farms could improve on the way they run their animals through corrals,
using improved gating strategies that help calm the animals.
Ultimately, factory farming methods need to be improved upon
because their negative effects are not only on animals but on humans, too.
Animal production practices shouldn’t include confining many animals in one
space. They shouldn’t come with such a high risk of spreading infectious
diseases and harming the food industry in such a large way. One factory farm
is the difference of us paying more or less for food which directly correlates
with the economy. Sure, the economy benefits in the short term by having a
factory farm producing a large quantity of food for many people causing the
price to be low, but if that factory farm shuts down for any reason, the
12
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

consequences can be tremendous to the prices we pay at grocery stores for

food. The next time you visit the grocery store, think about where your food
comes from. Read the label on the chicken and see if it says “antibiotic free”.
If it doesn’t, think about the correlation of buying that product and
supporting the farm that produced that animal. Consumers need to start
overcoming their ignorance and pay attention to what’s going on in the world
around them. If buyers start to voice their opinions, perhaps the factory
farms will change their practices to produce animals that are raised ethically
and not put through more pain than need be necessary.

13
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

Reference Page

Grandin, Temple, Script. Temple Grandin. Dir. Jackson, Mick." Perf. Danes,
Claire. HBO Film: 2010, Film.

Sayre, Laura. "The Hidden Link Between Factory Farms and Human
Illness." Mother Earth News 232 (2009): 76. MasterFILE Premier.
EBSCO. Web. 17 Oct. 2010. Journal of Agricultural and
Environmental Ethics. 21.4 (2008): 371-384. Online.

Williams, Nancy. "Affected Ignorance And Animal Suffering: Why Our

Failure To Debate Factory Farming Puts Us At Moral Risk." Journal
of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 21.4 (2008): 371-384. E-
Journals. EBSCO. Web. 24 Oct. 2010.

Zuzworsky, Rose. "From the Marketplace to the Dinner Plate: The Economy,
Theology, and Factory Farming." Journal of Business Ethics 29.1/2
(2001): 177-188. EBSCO MegaFILE. EBSCO. Web. 17 Oct. 2010.

14
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

Becky Berg’s commentary, PETA’s Ideal future: No Meat Consumption

relates vegetarianism to PETA. The point that is being made is that animals
are treated very poorly in the process of being slaughtered and how it affects
many people’s views on the consumption of meat. PETA is an organization
that believes strongly in equal rights of animals. Vegetarianism goes along
with that idea as well. This is so because members of PETA do not eat meat
or use anything that is an animal product in which animals were harmed.
The reason this commentary is related to the others is that it covers both the
idea of factory farms and animals consciousness. It does so by stating that
most factory farms treat animals poorly which then relates to animal
consciousness.

15
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

PETA’s Ideal Future: No Meat Consumption

By: Becky Berg
In America most people buy their food at the grocery store without
knowing where it actually comes from. One of the biggest concerns people
should have about the food that they consume is how it was produced,
especially the meats they eat. What people do not realize is the way the
animals are treated in the process. This is where PETA comes in. PETA is an
organization that believes very strongly that animals should be treated with
more care and kindness. PETA’s ideal future would involve equal treatment
of animals as humans but more importantly they would like more people to at
least try vegetarianism. I believe PETA has a huge influence on peoples’
views about vegetarianism in one way or another. As for me, I watched a
documentary called Food Inc. that changed my views on the food I eat
completely.
First of all, I should mention what PETA means. PETA is an acronym
that stands for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In other
words, members of this organization believe that animals should be treated
as equals to humans. This is why PETA strongly urges vegetarianism to
many. One of the main focuses I have noticed in today’s society is the strong
influence PETA has on vegetarians. As an organization, PETA protests for a
lot of different reasons including not wearing fur clothing and how poorly
animals can be treated in slaughterhouses. Many PETA employees go
undercover in these factories to get the inside scoop of the sad reality of how
cruel the slaughterhouses actually are to these innocent animals (Welch). So
now do you wonder what goes on in these slaughterhouses?
The process of meat production starts with animals being raised in a
factory farm then they are taken to slaughterhouses to be butchered.
Eventually packaged meat ends up in our grocery stores. Almost all meat you
find in a grocery store is produced in a factory by one of the top meat
producing companies in America such as Tyson or Smithfield (Don’t Let Big
Meat Slaughter the Packer Ban). These companies hire small farmers to
raise animals as if they are food producing machines (Vegetarian 101). The
animals on these farms are all packed into tight spaces, sitting in their own
waste, and in some cases have never seen sunlight. Not only are animals
treated poorly on farms, but also in the slaughterhouses where they are
butchered. Some of the processes that the slaughterhouse workers’ perform
are grueling. To save money the slaughterhouses use no pain medication or
anesthetic while performing tasks such as castrating, branding, and tail

16
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

docking (Welch). No animals should be treated in this way, it is wrong and I

believe it can be changed with the help of PETA’s actions.
PETA advocates vegetarianism in many different ways. They have
protested against many different restaurants such as McDonalds and
Kentucky Fried Chicken regarding problems with the way they treat chicken
in the factories and the amount of chicken each uses yearly. McDonalds
treats their birds like they are not living at all. Birds are thrown into
transport crates and then hung by their feet with metal shackles. This can
cause broken bones, extreme bruising, and even hemorrhaging. Factory
workers often end up cutting the birds’ throats and throwing them in
extremely hot water while they are still conscious and able to feel pain (Help
Stop McDonald’s Cruelty Now!). As one can see, this system is clearly not
working because many innocent animals are being harmed in the process.
Kentucky Fried Chicken has a new sandwich called the double down. This
sandwich replaces the bread with chicken (An Egg a Day Keeps the
Doctor…Wealthy). The double down uses an excessive amount of chicken for
one sandwich which I think is very unnecessary. I believe that PETA is
fighting for a good cause by trying to stop the habits many fast food
restaurants are using to kill animals in factories. As a result, PETA is not
willing to give up the fight for all to become vegetarians and for the equal
rights of animals.
So what exactly is a vegetarian? In general a vegetarian is one who
does not eat meat. I believe vegetarianism is a good thing to try and with
more supporters of this cause, the fight to stop animal cruelty would be much
easier. One way to start the journey of becoming a vegetarian is to cut bird
flesh from your diet first. This is a good idea because it saves more animals
since chickens are so commonly used as meat and for their eggs. Chickens are
very small and produce less meat so therefore one cow can feed many more
people than one chicken could. For that reason more chickens are needed to
meet the need of the consumers who eat chicken (Vegetarian 101). That is
why I feel PETA has a lot to do with the increase of vegetarianism.
It is shown that more ethical ways that would cause animals less harm
is not more expensive than the ways they are using today. Although the
process would be much slower, animals could be raised in a more normal
environment and be caused less harm. The down side is that these big meat
companies would be losing money because animals would not be grown to full
size as quickly. Most farms today feed animals corn and other genetically
enhanced crops to help the animals grow quicker (Farrow). But I believe in
the long run the best thing for everyone would be to have animals be raised
17
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

in a natural environment. This would satisfy PETA by treating animals with

respect and would be healthier to all. By this I mean that there would be less
chance of spreading disease amoung the meat we eat and overall less harm to
the animals.
PETA is linked to vegetarianism in a few ways. The PETA
organization believes strongly that even cutting out certain meats from your
diet like chicken makes the biggest difference. Because of all the advocating
PETA does for vegetarianism many people have been affected. Just seeing
pictures taken at meat factories could change peoples’ diet from eating meat
to no longer doing so. At least for me, by researching factories that treat
animals in this way and also by seeing unruly pictures just makes me sick.
This organization has a lot of evidence to back up its claim that states
animals are treated very poorly. However, some people would not want to see
pictures of where their meat comes from because they would rather not know
how meat is made. Even though they may find the pictures disturbing, they
still do not care how the animals are treated as long as they can still buy
their meat from the grocery store.
In my opinion, I believe PETA has a lot to do with the increase of
vegetarians. The way animals are treated in slaughterhouses is unbelievable
to me. After researching and seeing pictures of animals treated poorly
definitely makes me consider becoming a vegetarian. Although I agree with
PETA with the fact that animals should be treated better I also think PETA
is too extreme in some ways. Members of PETA do not believe in eating eggs,
milk, or cheese as well as meat. I can see how eggs could be considered bad
because in the process many chickens are killed. What I do not understand is
the problem with eating dairy products that usually come from cows. Cows
are not being killed in the process of being used for milk. Although one of the
reasons PETA does not believe in drinking milk could be the way the cows
are treated during the milking process. Many cows are kept in barns to be
milked and do not get the treatment they should. You could almost say they
are milking machines. Basically, PETA does not believe in drinking milk
mainly for the reason that cows are being harmed in the process but not
necessarily killed. Another option to prevent this is that if animals were
treated better in factories and were slaughtered in safer ways it would not be
as big of an issue. One way to kill animals especially birds in a less harmful
way is called controlled-atmospheric killing. Controller-atmospheric killing or
CAK is where oxygen is removed from the birds’ atmosphere when birds are
still in their transport crates (Controlled atmosphere killing). I feel that CAK
would be very beneficial to the health and safety of the animals. This could be
18
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

the solution to create an equal medium between vegetarians and meat eaters.
By having meat no longer be a part of the food chain, there would eventually
be a shortage of food supply.
The reason I chose to write about this topic is because of the influence
of a documentary I saw called Food Inc. This documentation went behind the
scenes of what really happens in factories and describes how meat companies
have become so powerful in America. In the movie there is a quote that I
found to be very true. In the movie it was stated that “the industry doesn’t
want you to know the truth about what you’re eating, because if you know
you might not want to eat it” (Food Inc.). After watching Food Inc., I stopped
eating hamburger for four months. The way that most factories butcher and
ground the beef used for hamburger is very unsanitary. There have been
many cases of E. coli found from eating hamburger and other meats. This is
my personal experience in which Food Inc. had a huge affect on me. Therefore
PETA is not the only thing that can affect one’s views about meat. This
documentary has a very powerful message and I am sure that I am not the
only person to change their eating habits after watching it.
People may also become vegetarians because of their own beliefs or
health reasons. Studies show that people who consume less meat are less
likely to get cancer, cardiovascular disease, and even diabetes (Planning a
healthy vegetarian diet). A vegetarian diet contains a lot of fiber and is
generally lower in fat and cholesterol. Most vegetarian meals consist of a lot
of grains, vegetables, legumes, and fruit (Webb). Therefore a vegetarian diet
is very healthy and could be beneficial to many. Another reason one might be
a vegetarian is because of their love for animals. Some people could never see
themselves eating animals because they own pets of their own and would feel
wrong doing so.
Ultimately, becoming a vegetarian is done by choice, but many people
are influenced by PETA in one way or another. I believe PETA is right when
they say that animals are treated poorly on factory farms and in
slaughterhouses. There are less painful approaches to killing animals that
would make PETA more satisfied, although their ideal situation would be for
many people to become vegetarians. PETA does not state that everyone in
the world should become a vegetarian but rather fewer animals would be
harmed if more people stopped eating meat. One thing that can be done to
make a happy medium between PETA supporters and meat lovers would be
to improve the treatment of animals. Things could be improved in every
aspect from raising the animals to having them slaughtered. Many people
have become vegetarians because of the way animals are treated so maybe if
19
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

the methods for slaughtering were changed then vegetarians might change
the way they feel about eating meat as well.

20
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

Reference Page

“An Egg a Day Keeps the Doctor…Wealthy.” The PETA Flies. Peta.org. 3
. 2010.

“Controlled atmosphere killing.” Green Living Tips. 2010.

“Don’t Let Big Meat Slaughter the Packer Ban.” Grist.org.

Farrow, Kenyon. “Held the Crisis: Stop Feeding Cows Corn!” Kenyon Farrow.
Web. 16 Nov. 2010.

Food Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. River Road Entertainment, 2008. Film.
“Help Stop McDonald’s Cruelty Now!” Take Action. 2010. PETA.org. 9
Nov. 2010.

“Planning a Healthy Vegetarian Diet.” World Book Science Year. 01 Aug.

2009. eLibrary. 17 Oct. 2010.

“Vegetarian 101.” People For The Ethical Treatment of Animal. 17 Oct. 2010.
Peta.org.

Webb, Robyn. “Go Meatless.” Diabetes Forecast. 01 Jun. 2006. eLibrary. 17

Oct. 2010.

Welch, Aimee. “Fur flies in PETA’s fight for animals.” Insight on the News. 17
Jul. eLibrary. 17 Oct. 2010.

21
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

In conclusion, Abbey Taubert, Tanasha Krull, and Becky Berg have

well incorporated their similar viewpoints to create a compilation of work on
animal welfare. Taubert brought to life the issue of animal consciousness and
how animals are being treated inhumanely. She informs each of us that
animals do have a compatible intelligence to humans and that their ability to
feel is almost equivalent. Krull took this one step further, incorporating
Taubert’s beliefs and building off animal treatment into a factory setting. She
talked about affected ignorance and how people don’t want to know where
their food is coming from because if they did they might feel guilty. Berg
finally sheds light on how each person can help, whether it goes back to Krull
asking people to take into account where your food is coming from and
support your local ranchers rather than factory farms, or becoming a
vegetarian like PETA’s ideal future would entail, Berg believe that something
should be done and that we should all deliberate on our food.
After reading each of these interpretations, the reader should be left
with a better understanding of animals in today’s society, how they are being
treated, and what they can do to help. Taubert, Krull, and Berg were all
searching for possible ways to eliminate the amount of suffering put forth
onto animals, and hope that each person who reads their collation of writing
will consider what they have to offer. Will you be the one who makes a
difference and helps improve animal welfare, or will you just sit by eating
your food now knowing that an animal might have suffered for you to be so
fulfilled?
As a reader, you may doubt your ability to make a difference. You
ponder how one person changing their purchasing power or eating habits can
change production as a whole? Now consider this, if you changed your
behaviors because you thought it would make the difference for one animal
and I do the same and everyone else follows not knowing if it will affect
society as a whole, the eventual outcome would be everyone changing their
lifestyles and production become more about what the people want. You as a
consumer have the ability to voice your opinion. Don’t question your
capabilities or your neighbors, but rather do what you think is right. These
three authors voiced their concern and if all readers took action because they
no longer had affected ignorance and they knew what’s occurring in the
facilities and society is wrong, animal welfare, the well-being of all animals,
would increase. The future of all Earth’s animals lies in our hands, what will
you chose to do?

22
 The Future of all Earth’s Animals 2010

Works Cited

Cover Page Images (Starting top left and going clockwise):

You are What You Eat. Web. 5 Dec 2010.

<http://seventrees.blogspot.com/2007/08/you-are-what-you-eat.html>.

"No friends. No exercise. No toys. No comforts. No sun. No fresh air. Just cold
steel." Projects. Web. 5 Dec 2010. http://www.petlink-up.com/projects.htm.

Court orders tighter 'factory farm' rule. Web. 5 Dec 2010.

<http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/01/court_orders_tighter_f
actory_f.html>.

"Florida Chicken House." "Affordable Beef" comes from "Modern Agriculture".

Web. 5 Dec 2010. <http://www.vegansoapbox.com/affordable-beef-
comes-from-modern-agriculture/>.

23