Livestock in Transit. Why?

It's been years since I've felt like I needed to get something off my chest and this blog came to mind. Haven't posted anything since college. That feels so long ago, playing in the snow, slipping on ice, thinking life was all fun and games. Then I graduated and it got real.

I've gotten married since then, bought a house, added to my pet collection, even have a dream job I never imagined I'd have. I work with big cats, some of the most endangered animals in the world, going extinct because of our mistakes. I named this bog 'Careful, There's Ice' thinking about life. We move forward thinking everything looks clear and simple. But lying in wait are dangers and problems we never thought would happen. The smallest step, the littlest action could end up getting us falling on our butt... or even worse, going extinct.

We have such a blood thirst culture. We go to war over the most unimportant things: money, oil, resources...

We are a greedy culture. We want so much and take what we can instead of giving back and making a positive impact in the world around us.

I know it seems a little off topic, but we waste so much... The produce that never makes it to market, the meat we throw away every day. Even the land that is set aside to help us raise animals to raise, kill, eat, and dispose of. I feed some of that discarded meat to the animals I work with everyday. Most of it is still good several days after the stores throw it out. The waste is pointless. We have gotten so far from the society that only took what it needed.

http://www.schowauction.com/040310.html

 You might recognize this. It is a common livestock semi trailer. I passed one on the highway tonight on my drive home. I could see through the vent holes that they were hauling cattle. It made me sad, then depressed, then angered. I'm angry at myself for being part of the society that mass transports animals to be murdered and processed with the intention eat, only to be thrown into the trash.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2465745/Shocking-picture-sheep-hung-death-tailgate-cattle-lorry-sparks-animal-cruelty-probe.html

The conditions inside these trailers don't give the animals much room to move and it endangers them. The picture below shows the different compartments where animals are stored. It reminds me of the slave ships that used to bring men and women from Africa centuries ago. (Never mind the safety cushions.)

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/beef/cushion/livestockcushion.htm

Below pictures the cramped conditions in one of these trailer sections. The animals don't have much room to move. On top of that, 24+ pigs don't have restrooms. They have the floor. Even a thin layer of shavings can't make it cleaner. You can see how dirty it is after a trip. They end up defecating on each other which can spread disease and make the animals extremely uncomfortable. You might also be able to make out those odd patterns or discolorations on the pigs in the middle picture. They beat the animals to get them to walk into this dungeon, sometimes even electrocuting them. To me, these animals know what the trailer means. It means possible death.

http://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/5/2/226/htm

"When hogs are transported long distances, 70 percent of hog transit deaths occur on the truck and the rest after the hogs have reached the market or packing plant. For hogs hauled for a short distance under hot, humid Midwestern conditions, death losses may be split evenly between on the truck or after unloading. In addition to deaths during transit, about a third as many hogs are crippled during the ride to market, further increasing the transit loss to the industry. Death losses often double on hot, humid days. Delays in unloading after the hogs reach market are another major cause of hog deaths, especially during hot weather. Rough handling and excessive electric prod use during loading will increase deaths."
      https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdard/Livestock_Trucking_Guide_454102_7.pdf

An article from PETA stated in 2006 an estimated 1 million hogs died in transit alone.

And that's just pigs. How many other species of animals die in these horrible condition just because people have decided this is how animals should be treated? Here in the USA most people cherish their beloved furry friends at home, whether that be cats or dogs. In China, they haul dogs in similar conditions to slaughter for their meat and their fur. We could never allow our family pets to be treated in that manner, but somehow we let animals that we picture as food be put through this. I would prefer meat from an animal that grew up happy and well aged compared to a young animal that was terrified  and tormented during it's last moments.

 If you watch the documentary called Cowspiracy, it covers the agriculture industry and really goes in depth to show how much we waste to raise a lot of those animals that we torture and murder.

It would be interesting to load a bunch of people up into one of these things and drive for hours in the heat of the summer or the cold of winter... It would be eye opening. A lot of individuals don't give animals a thought, tossing their dogs outside in the winter without any shelter or place to try to get warm. Putting a coat on a dog isn't spoiling them, it's a courtesy. We want a coat, shouldn't they? Why would we haul animals at high speeds in an open trailer to the elements?

Anyway... I can go on I'm sure. This is just one example of the 'ice' I was meaning in the title. Something that people don't see that really trips us up when trying to be moral and humane. I'd rather not eat meat than have animals suffer like this for a slab of protein on my dinner plate. There are better ways.