Animal Writings

Two weeks ago, while volunteering at the chicken, turkey, and rabbit barn for the Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary annual fundraiser, I encountered a steady stream of free-ranger visitors. Many of them asked "What about free-range?" Some told me that they only buy cage-free eggs. All were very receptive when I told them the truth about free-range, cage-free, and so forth. None really challenged me. None were obstinate. In some cases, it seemed as though the person asking about free range practically wanted to hear that it was no solution, as if they knew that what they were doing was still wrong, and this was a safe (if not authoritative) setting in which to be set straight.

I stress that most of the time, the free-rangers did not say "Everything's fine; I only buy free range," and if they did say something to that effect, they seemed satisfied when I explained the littany of cruelties that free-range did not address. Then, time and circumstances permitting, I let them know about some easy and tasty non-animal-derived alternatives; it's important to leave people with a doable solution.

No doubt, having the animals there helped. The refugees and escapees from the system that treats them as expendable resources and kills them are a poignant and powerful reminder of one's complicity in that system. Perhaps the free-rangers sensed the futility of uttering "But I only buy free range" while looking into the eyes of these animals.

For more reasons than I can enumerate, and possibly discern, I highly recommend both visiting a farmed animal sanctuary and bringing people there. I find (and apparently many others find) that there is a magnificence to such places, despite their bittersweetness. The animals have all been subject to cruelty. Most have been the victim of bodily mutilations that affect their every motion. Some have gone through prolonged misery and barely escaped death. Who knows what emotional and psychological scars they carry.

And yet, in these peaceful refuges, the animals become restored. And so do we, I would argue. To see the magic in these animals' eyes, to witness their vibrancy and their ability to seek out and enjoy simple pleasures like a warm sunbath or the companionship of an old friend or a new acquaintance, is rejuvenating and restorative.

For meat-eaters, as well as lacto-ovo vegetarians, a visit to the animal sanctuary can be transformative. There is something about meeting the animals, seeing them close-up, watching them purposefully going about their days and expressing their personalities, that is not possible to convey in words or brochures, or even in a video. When I took my mother to visit Poplar Spring she had already reduced her consumption of chicken and turkey a little bit (and was doing the free-range thing). We spent a lot of time at the chicken and turkey barn, seeing all these intelligent and unique individuals being themselves, being happy. After the visit, my mom quit eating chicken and turkey. That was two years ago.

Labels: advocacy, animal sanctuaries, free range