Animal Writings

First of all, just a reminder. Eggs are basically chicken menstruation ejecta. That's what you're eating when you eat eggs. Also, in a chicken, eggs and poop come out of the same hole. Just a reminder.

Some of you who still eat eggs (I believe the phrase is "can't give them up") have switched to cage-free eggs. That's a good first step. The hens laying those eggs can at least spread their wings. The bad news is, it's not even close to a humane solution. If you're buying the eggs from a store, the cage-free hens are still raised in crowded squalor, their lungs are still constantly assaulted by thick ammonia fumes, they're still denied any semblance of a normal life, the male offspring of the breeder hens are still killed immediately after they're born, the hens themselves are still killed at one to two years old, and they're not protected by the Humane Slaughter Act, so they may die by bleeding to death while fully conscious and hanging on hooks. Cage-free egg buyers: You've taken an important step, but your focus--your goal--should be replacing eggs. It is far more doable than you think, and every person that reduces and then eliminates eggs from their diet makes it easier for the next person. Products like Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer are a direct response to growing demand for humane alternatives to eggs.

But—even if you're trying to salve your conscience by moving to cage-free eggs (again, thank you but please don't stalemate there), assuming you don't eat a lot of omelets or do a lot of baking, chances are that most of the eggs you consume are from ready-made baked goods, including cookies, pies, muffins, and even bread. Most of the eggs in those foods come from battery cage hens—one of the cruelest agricultural methods in existence.

Here are some measures you can take to save hens (who are truly remarkable creatures if you ask me; the more I see them, the more I marvel at them; their distinct personalities, their diverse chatter, their learning ability, even the softness and patterns of their feathers):

• Buy bread products without egg as an ingredient. Most bread doesn't have egg.


• Buy eggless mayonnaise such as Veganaise or Nayonaise. You won't miss the egg.


• If you can swing it, bake your own cookies. The chocolate chip cookies from Vegan With a Vengeance (VwaV) are excellent. If TollHouse cookies—the ones I remember as a kid—are ranked at 100, the VwaV cookies are a solid 90. Which is just about perfect, since I don't want to eat twelve at one sitting.


• Not going to lie to you. Store-bought vegan cookies vary widely in quality. But they're getting better. I'm munching on some "Health Valley" chocolate mint cookies right now, in fact. Very tasty. Note that some popular brands of cookies, such as Oreos and Lorna Doones, are vegan. Off-the-shelf vegan desserts in general are progressing at a near-fanatical pace. Some flavors of soy ice cream rival dairy ice cream. Truly Natural blueberry pie. Yum! Every carnivore I know who's tried this pie has raved. It helps if you live near a Whole Foods, Wild Oats, Trader Joe's, "progressive" version of a mainstream store such as Kroger or Albertsons, or a food co-op (an often overlooked option).


• When you buy frozen veggie burgers and veggie chicken, look for varieties that don't have egg whites.

In terms of animal welfare, giving up eggs may be the most important dietary change you can make. It's amazing; just by changing your diet in this one respect, you will directly reduce the amount of suffering in the world. That's pretty profound, and worth a pat on the back and my sincere gratitude. You can do it!

Quick show of hands. How many non-vegetarians know that there are vegan "egg replacer" products (not "Egg Beaters") that you can use in place of eggs in recipes? I'm guessing one or two percent. Here's your humane solution to eggs, at least for baking and cooking.

Now before I go on, note that there are many ways besides egg replacer products to get around eggs when you're baking cookies, making pancakes, and so forth. Pick up any vegan cookbook or browse online recipes to see what I mean. For example, we make pancakes using mashed banana instead of eggs all the time, and they always come out delicious. (Hint: for a memorable brunch, try them topped with peach preserves mixed with a little brandy—wow!)

For baking and recipes that call for eggs, I used to use Ener-G Egg Replacer, which I believe is the most popular replacement product, and is not bad. But I like Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer, which I recently discovered, better. Inexplicably (at least as far as I can tell), the Bob's Red Mill web site does not have a list of products and descriptions, otherwise I would have linked there.

Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer is not everywhere, but it may be a lot of places. The web site has a store finder page to help you locate where Bob's Red Mill products are sold near you. I punched in Macon, Georgia; Norman, Oklahoma; Provo, Utah; and Olympia, Washington, and got matches for all four cities. Note that not every store that carries Bob's Red Mill products will have the egg replacer. You can also buy it online, from the Bob's Red Mill website or other locations.

I heard somewhere that for best results with these egg replacers, you should whip it up vigorously, into a froth. So that's what I've been doing. It works great. It does not taste like anything is missing in your finished product. In fact, sometimes you'd swear it has egg. I made these jalapeno corn muffins the other night. I used Bob's Red Mill instead of Ener-G, I only used one jalapeno instead of two, and I cut back a little on the salt and cayenne. They were to die for. Except that...they're not to die for. That's the beauty of it.

"What about getting eggs from truly free-range hens?" Although 99 percent of consumers in America do not buy their eggs this way, this question comes up again and again, and so I am addressing it again. Also, as the popularity of farmers markets and locally grown foods continues to increase (which I think is overall, a good thing), the opportunities for buying non-factory farm (notice I didn't say "humane") eggs will increase. For example, at the farmers market near me, there is a vendor selling "free-range eggs from young pullet chickens."

Even without knowing any of the details of the operation, it's a safe bet that the hens who lay those eggs have far better lives than the hens in factory farms, including "free-range" factory farms.

But my standard, and I hope your standard, is not "more humane than." A quick test for me, when determining whether a deliberate, consequential behavior toward an animal, or toward a member of our own species, is justifiable, is asking these three questions:

• Does it follow the Golden Rule?


• Does it follow the principle of "least harm?"


• Is it done with compassion?

If the answer to any of these is "no," and there are not extenuating factors such as self-defense involved, the behavior is probably not moral, or is at least something that one should try to avoid.

In the case of someone selling or buying eggs, the three general questions above could be clarified with more specific questions:

• Have the hens been bred to lay an unnaturally high number of eggs, which takes a toll on their bodies and well-being but yields more revenue to the vendor?


• Are the hens respected as sentient individuals, or as production units to be discarded once they're no longer profitable?


• Do the "growers," farm employees, and buyers have empathy for the hens?


• How are sick hens, old hens, and non-producing hens treated?


• How are the male offspring of breeding hens (the source of the laying hens) treated? Are they treated with compassion? Do they have a decent life? Or are they killed when newborns because they have no economic value?

If the answers to all these questions are more or less what you would answer if asked about your companion animal, or about an animal you loved, chances are decent that the setup is essentially humane. Otherwise, you shouldn't buy the eggs, because you'll be contributing to preventable cruelty. I suppose for me, a good indicator that eggs are obtained humanely would be that the eggs are incidental, not the goal. So far, the only examples I can think of that meet this criterion are individuals who have companion hens in the back yard, and rescuers who look after hens at a sanctuary. There may be a zoo somewhere that qualifies. Note that in none of these examples, except maybe occasionally the first, are eggs sold for profit.

Of course we are all imperfect; we are all, to some extent, a product of our environment and upbringing, and none of us is omniscient. So we make mistakes and fall prey to whims, prejudices, and habits. We're not always honest with ourselves, because that can be brutal, and we may engage in certain behaviors to fit in, or to please others, whether we admit it or not. So we must have mercy on the sinners—which includes all of us—as well as the victims. By the same token, we have some obligation to work for peace and justice. We can't only watch "American Idle." Sometimes—like any animal activist—I am challenged with "what are you doing for humans?" As if by being vegan my ability to help humans is impaired, or I am held to a higher standard. (Actually, by being vegan and calling upon people to be kind to animals to the best of their ability, I think I am helping humans, but I digress.) The question in and of itself, if asked honestly (and it often is not, and is used instead as a rhetorical defense mechanism) is fair. I'd like to expand the question to "what are you doing for sentient beings?"

It's amazing how much you can do for animals with almost no effort. By steadily reducing the amount of animal products in your diet (and your clothing) you will reduce animal suffering. You will also lessen your impact on the environment. The reduction in animal suffering, as a result of your dietary change, will be significant. It should not be measured in terms of "how many animals are still suffering in factory farms?" It should be measured in terms of "how many have I saved? And more importantly, "to what degree am I showing compassion instead of selfish interest? (You can also apply these principles to your buying habits in general, by considering how companies treat their workers and the environment, and choosing where to buy goods and services partially on that basis.)

Liked this:

Pseudo-Mexican Gringo Bachelor Vegan Recipes

This afternoon I was at Petco, looking at the small animals in their cages. Some were sleeping. Some were on the exercise wheel. Some were drinking from their water bottle.

A customer asked a salesperson how much it would cost to buy a mouse. The salesperson said $1.99. He asked the customer why he wanted to buy a mouse. "For a game," he said. At least he was honest. The mouse was going to be used for a competition modeled after TV's "Fear Factor." The salesperson said "just a minute" and walked away.

I asked the customer what he was going to do with the mouse after the game. "Maybe return it, maybe throw it outside," he said.

To Petco's credit, they didn't sell this person a mouse. However, the fact that we have mice for sale in stores may be what gives people the idea that they can go buy a mouse practically on impulse. Like a commodity. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to tell a couple of lies and "beat the system," and that at some stores it would be easier than at others.

I explained to the customer that I was a volunteer for an animal shelter, and that buying an animal about which he knew nothing, using it as a game prop, and throwing it out was cruel, and that the mouse would likely be terrified the entire time. He said it's no different than buying a mouse for a snake. I have to admit he had a point, but I replied that the snake has to eat rodents but he doesn't have to use a live mouse as a toy. I told him there was a great party supply store down the block, and that they would probably have a selection of real-looking creatures of all sorts. I suggested going with that option, as there would be no cruelty involved, and he could use the fake creatures over and over. I'm not certain, of course, but I think this idea appealed to him.

The "Fear Factor" party in which a live mouse was going to be used was a church-sponsored event.

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Related site:

Rat and Mouse Club of America

This is an excerpt from "Against Animal Sacrifice," an essay in Buddhist Scriptures and part of a post in SuperVegan.com:


My, we've come a long way.

The picture on the front of the Washington Post the day after the Kentucky Derby shows the front line of horses all being whipped. Clearly these races are not for the horses' benefit.

A thoroughbred owner once told me that you can't let your feelings get in the way of your investment. Perhaps that steely mindset is what enables them to ship their horses to slaughterhouses—mostly through middlemen—once the horses become unprofitable. A couple of weeks ago a person whom I consider to be intelligent was surprised that racehorses are often slaughtered after their involuntary "careers." 90,000 horses were killed in the U.S. last year in slaughterhouses. Karen Harkson, president of Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary (EVRS), says "Eighty percent of those horses are healthy." EVRS also estimates that "one third of slaughter-bound horses are bred for racing." My friend thought that they all went to a nice retirement home. What a dream world we live in; we want to believe that animals who are bred for profit are treated well.

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Related blog and articles:

Stop Horse Slaughter offers comprehensive and compassionate information about the unsavory but little-known horse slaughter industry in the United States. Recent posts cover the tragic Barbaro injury at the Preakness, and the urgency and political hurdles of the American Horse Slaughter Protection Act. As expected, the horse slaughter industry is trying to block passage of the bill. They claim that the slaughterhouses are a humane way to "dispose" of horses. This assertion is vile. First of all, horses are not a problem to be "disposed" of. Horses deserve compassionate care. Secondly, slaughterhouses are not caring, diligent places. They're profit-oriented, sloppily-run mechanized death factories of which agony and torture are byproducts.

Christopher J. Heyde, writing in the conservative Washington Times, reports, "I am one of the few people who have witnessed horse slaughter firsthand without being expressly brought in by the industry to show how 'wonderful' it is. I was accompanied by a licensed veterinarian who sought out a USDA inspector when we were no longer able to tolerate the abuse we witnessed. Unfortunately, she was unable to find the inspector in the facility. In the mere 45 minutes we were there, we witnessed several acts of cruelty." Mr. Heyde also points out that "horse slaughter is not euthanasia by any definition."

If you're still not sure if horse slaughter is inhumane, Watch these video clips of the operation -- or take my word that they're sickening.

This page informs you of actions you can take to help ensure that horses in the U.S. are permanently protected from slaughter. Also, please click here if you want to rescue a horse from slaughter. Your donation to Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue may literally save a horse from the slaughter pen and give him a chance to live out his remaining years peacefully. You can also virtually adopt a horse.

Related article:

The Horseracing Industry: Drugs, Deception and Death

Not sure if this would work...

The company would be called something like "Compassionate Critter Control." They would help homeowners and maybe renters and landlords humanely keep unwanted animals like mice and rats out of buildings. They would probably also provide products and services related to prevention of undesired animal intruders.

Their primary service, as I imagine it, would be to identify and eliminate all possible points of entry of small animals into the building. First they would do an audit, for a modest fee, which would result in a recommended course of action and an estimate. Once they got the go-ahead to proceed, they would seal up holes and cracks in exterior walls, install baffles in chimneys, apply caulking around windows, put easy-to-remove-and-replace netting around dryer vents, and so forth. They might also clean up brush around the house and put in barriers to keep some separation between vegetation and the structure.

To add value, they could offer additional consultation and advice on keeping the dwelling less attractive to rodents and other uninvited animals. For instance, as a convenience, they might they might sell plastic food storage containers on the spot for only slightly more than you would pay at the store. They might advise homeowners to tightly cover bird seed and trim tree branches near the house. Anything non-trivial they could offer as a service.

Beyond that, it gets murky for me. But here are some possibilities:

• They could offer humane indoor rodent traps and relocation. The problem I run into here is making sure that the residents do not catch a mice and forget to check the trap. I've thought about ways to mitigate this risk, but they all seem unworkable so far.


• They could offer humane rabbit defenses. For example they could bury a suitable fence around a vegetable garden, but also plant a "decoy garden" as a compassionate gesture to the local cottontails. The decoy garden could have plants like mint, which thrives, and kale, which most people eat sparingly. The idea here is a win-win. The company could also recommend plants that rabbits don't like, such as marigolds, tomatoes, and thyme.


• The company could offer similar humane arbitration for deer. Although, I tell ya, as we relentlessly destroy the deers' habitat, our backyard vegetation may be all that's left for the deer to eat. But if the homeowners would otherwise do something more drastic, the CCC guys might be an alternative that saves the deer from worse fates while mollifying the humans. I realize we quickly get into quandaries here. But peaceful solutions start with desire; where there's a will, there's usually a way. Who knows, maybe CCC even does deer fertility controls.


• CCC might apply some safe insect deterrents, or recommend and/or implement local integrated pest management, keeping in mind that nature doesn't always work according to plan. For instance, the ladybugs and green lacewings may decide to migrate next door. Maybe CCC does things like spraying red pepper solutions on plants. Not sure. I could see them doing soil amendments (vegan), pruning, companion planting, and other measures to keep the plants healthy and their defenses in top shape. Although I'm starting to drift here, turning CCC into a vegan gardening and lawn service. I guess that wouldn't be so bad, either.

What got me to thinking about this business idea way back was the fact that if you could keep the animals out of the building, you cut way back on the poisons, pesticides, and cruel traps. You reduce animal suffering and perhaps you help people get out of a conflict mindset (and hopefully somewhat into a co-existence mindset). The CCC trucks, advertising, methods, and literature would run contrary to the predominant portrayal of unwanted animals as merely "pests." It would inject some respect for animals and calmness into the marketplace, I would hope. What I see a lot is people going automatically to warfare mode, buying pellets and sprays and wayfarin and horrific glue traps. Some of these products cause prolonged and severe agony in their victims. They may cause convulsions and unbearable pain. I was talking to someone just the other day who was telling me about the effects of a rodenticide that had been used on the rats (not an infestation) in her apartment building; she described the animals as in delirium—she said it was difficult and somewhat sickening to watch—and vowed to never use such drastic measures herself. (That conversation was a catalyst for writing this post. Also note that pets, children, and "non-target" species can get into these poisons. My niece one time had to be medi-vac'ed to the hospital because she had inhaled some bug spray. She was unconscious when they airlifted her.)

At first I figured a company like CCC would mostly deal with homeowners, but the more I think about it, the apartment and office building market might even be better, since those establishments seem to more often have recurring, reliable, long-term revenue opportunities. I don't know.

In fact, I'm not sure about any of this. It's just a thought, an idea. If anyone thinks it's a good idea and is entrepreneurial, run with it. I'm sure there are lots of nooks and crannies and problems and "devils in the details" that I haven't thought about. Also, there might be all sorts of upsides that I haven't thought about, either. I'd be interested and grateful for any comments or criticisms, or if anyone could tell me if such a service already exists, and if it works. Or if anything like this has been considered and rejected, or tried and failed.

I have compassion for the animals because their hearts beat like ours. Because they seek happiness and comfort, and fear suffering, like us. Because they crave the embrace of their mothers, like us. Because they play when they are young and grow weary yet satisfied with simple pleasures when they are old, like us. Because they savor the warmth of the sun, and the sweetness of the fruit of the earth, like us. My heart aches for them when they are violently killed and abused, when they are tortured, when they are locked up and deprived of everything that gives their lives meaning and joy.

Because they are innocent victims of cruelty but have no protection, I must protect them. Because they are innocent and unjustly imprisoned, enslaved, and forced to suffer, but their desperate pleas fall on deaf ears, I must be their voice.

If you're driving through a residential neighborhood, especially this time of year, and you're trying to find a good radio station, or CD, or downloaded tune, let me offer this suggestion: Turn off the radio, turn off the CD player, turn off the iPod. Roll down the windows and drive at a moderate pace. You'll hear the most beautiful songs.

What an ugly word.

Every vegan has experienced this, or will soon. People at your table, feasting on oversized portions of fettucini alfredo or bacon and eggs, justify their meat-eating by likening themselves to Indians who "honor the animal." I don't know how much these people emulate Indians in other ways, or even know about Indians, but the "honoring the animal" slogan is handy to borrow when rationalizing a plate full of flesh.

The Indians of the past had to kill animals to live. We don't. This glaring difference is breezily ignored by the would-be Indians as they're indulging themselves on meat they don't need.

The psuedo, part-time Indians always mention how the Indians used "the whole animal." This fact is recited without fail. I'm curious as to how many of these folks eat the animals' intestines, feet, or head, as is done in some non-Western cultures? For that matter, do they eat the whole vegetable? Or loaf of bread? Do they eat the broccoli stems and the celery leaves? Do they ever buy a blemished piece of fruit or dented can of beans? Most of us probably waste more food, directly or indirectly, than the average Plains Indian of 200 years ago ate.

Actually, in some respects today, using "the whole animal" increases the amount of animal suffering and death. For example, when you buy calfskin gloves, shoes, or belts, you are supporting the horrid veal industry, and sustaining the dairy industry. Veal calves are the "useless" male offspring of dairy cows who are artificially inseminated each year, until their milk production falls and they're slaughtered. Half of all dairy cows are lame by the time they're five years old, and more and more are confined in "zero pasture" facilities, where their lives are spent chained in a barn or in mud and excrement.

Are the pretend Indians who are supposedly honoring the animal eating what they consider the minimum amount of meat and dairy for their health? For me, that minimum is none. The same goes for my wife. We're both healthy. But even mainstream medical groups that don't prescribe a vegetarian diet recommend that meat portions be no bigger than a deck of cards.

Quite a few faux-Indians are obese. The last person who presented the Indian rationale to me was probably forty pounds overweight. In the vast majority of cases, the extra weight is not caused by a medical condition, it's caused by eating too much and exercising too little. Some people are obese because of metabolic disorders or serious psychological conditions. But not most. Gluttony does not honor the animal.

Modern meat-eaters are eating far more chicken than beef—and not much buffalo. The preference for smaller animals means billions more are killed.

To grow the massive amount of crops necessary to feed the animals eaten by today's "Indians When Convenient" (approximately 60 percent of the grain in the U.S. is used to feed livestock), we kill even more animals in the process. We destroy wild habitat, use up oil (for fertilizer), and dump enormous amounts of pollution into the water, ground, and air.

The Indians whom the carnivores by choice at my table claim to emulate didn't breed billions of animals and condemn them to torture camps, where they're treated like trash, where they never see the sun, breath fresh air, or feel the earth. The false Indians who wax sentimental over honoring the animals probably have never seen the miserable battery hen who's lost half her feathers by the time she's slaughtered at less than two years old. They probably have never heard the cries of the newborn calf and the wails of his mother when he is dragged off to the tiny and unforgiving veal pen. They have probably never witnessed the agony of improperly stunned pigs and cattle who are conscious as they bleed to death in slaughterhouses. There is no honor in ignoring or denying these animals' suffering.

The corporations that engineer and run factories of animal misery and death, and kill a million animals every hour, pray for earnings and market share, not the animals' souls. The animals are stolen from their mothers, stripped of individuality and personality, and turned into commodities. They're starved and denied water prior to slaughter. They're shocked and boiled and crushed to death. According to the meat industry, ten percent of chickens die before slaughter (a conservative estimate)—and they're slaughtered while still children. The industry wastes these birds because it's more profitable. Improperly hung birds are thrown in the trash. Or their wings or heads are pulled off. There is not one speck of respect for animals in these operations. And those who can recite a few Indian sound bites as a makeshift defense for eating meat and dairy are willingly financing them.

To show respect to animals, and to the spirit of Indians who respected the animals, don't eat the animals when you already have plenty to eat without them. Don't kill animals— or pay someone else to do it—when you're not going hungry, just because you like the feel of their flesh. Leave a small footprint. Eat a vegetarian diet. Respect the animals' most profound wishes—to avoid suffering, to live. Show kindness. Enjoy watching animals be free, benefiting from your wisdom and compassion. No Indian spirit will be upset that you let animals live now that you have that choice.

The following is from The Great Compassion -- Buddhism & Animal Rights, by Norm Phelps, and is the third of a three-part series:

Yesterday, during a pleasant Mother's Day brunch, as my extended family was filling up on cheese and ice cream and talking about all the chicken and ham they had recently devoured, it occurred to me that I had neglected to send out Mother's Day wishes to some very important mothers who really could use some uplift.

Mother cows on dairy farms have their calves stolen from them when the calves are only two days old. From that point on, the calves are denied their mothers' milk, so humans can have it. The male calves are forced into a 16-week torture called the veal crate. They're tethered to posts by chains around their necks, fed an iron-deficient formula that turns their flesh pale, and prevented from walking or engaging in any play or exercise. They stand, sit, sleep—and in some cases, fall down—in their own excrement. They never feel their mothers' gentle nuzzles; they're never cleaned by their mothers' diligent tongues. Their lives are artificial Hells, devoid of joy. I talked to an investigator who told me about one farm where the veal crates were located ten feet away from the mothers. So the mothers could bellow in distress and see their imprisoned calves slowly becoming weaker and more miserable. Happy Mother's Day to them.

Sows are doting mothers who would normally be actively involved with their rambunctious, playful piglets. In factory farms, where almost all pigs are now raised, we prevent sows from almost all interactions with their piglets, because we stick the sows in obscenely small cages that don't even provide enough room for them to turn around. Sometimes they are strapped to the floor, reducing their motherhood to milking machines. Factory farm sows' piglets are taken from their mothers only one-third of the way through their natural weaning period. Both mothers and offspring will spend their lives in cages, where they'll gradually lose their energy and sink into learned helplessness. Happy Mother's Day to them.

Breeder hens in hatcheries can't be there to help their chicks out of their shells, to welcome them into the world, to clean them and teach them and cover them with protective wings. The mothers have already been re-impregnated when their chicks, after hatching in an incubator, get their brand new beaks severed and then are slid down a chute. The mothers don't watch their chicks growing up in dark, cavernous sheds filled with the stench of ammonia. The mothers, if they could see their chicks, would probably marvel at the chicks' oversized upper bodies, genetically engineered to grow so fast that the they sometimes fall over from the weight or have heart attacks because their organs are overwhelmed. Perhaps it's a mercy that the mothers don't see their seven-week old chicks grabbed by the legs, stuffed into trucks, hung on hooks, paralyzed with an electric shock, knifed across the throat, and dunked in boiling hot water—especially since some chicks are alive and conscious through the entire process. The breeder hens will eventually go through the same ordeal. Happy Mother's Day to them.

In the wild, turkey mothers stay with their young (called "poults") for four or five months. Mother and offspring explore, forage, sunbathe, dustbathe, chase grasshoppers, and fly together. Mothers teach their poults through example, training, and a large repertoire of vocalizations. Here's how commercial turkeys, almost all of whom live in factory farms, start their lives, according to Turkey World:


Precious living beings, just entering the world, treated like things. Modern turkeys used in the food industry have been genetically altered to be so top-heavy they can no longer naturally mate. Instead, the females are basically raped. Two men chase down and subdue the turkey hens, who struggle and kick with their powerful legs, trying to escape. One man pins the turkey on her back; the other forces semen into her vagina. The breeder turkeys run in fright when they see the rapists approaching. They are subjected to this trauma over and over, before they are finally slaughtered. Some die from the stress. Happy Mother's Day to them.

Elephants share in mothering duties. Elephant calves stay closely by their mothers until their teens; traveling, eating, playing, sleeping, swimming and bathing with the herd, always under the watchful eyes—and, frequently, trunks—of the dominant females. But some mothers lose their baby elephants to the circus, where "trainers" confine them in chains and beat them with sharp bullhooks, so they'll become fearful and submissive and stand on top of pedestals on command. In short, the mothers whose babies are kidnapped by the circus lose their young to the animal slave trade. Happy Mother's Day to them.

Mother cats in sadistic laboratory experiments see their newborn kittens get repeatedly, painfully shocked as the tiny kittens try to approach their mothers. The mothers become distraught and crazy, biting the wires and doing anything to save their kittens. In desperation, the mothers break the strongest bond in nature, between mother and child, and swat their kittens when they approach, in an effort to stop them from being tortured. Happy Mother's Day to them.

Seel-jawed leghold traps are banned in 90 countries but not the US. They indiscriminately maim and kill animals, including pets and endangered species. After struggling in vain to escape, 25 percent of trapped coyotes chew off own their own limbs as a courageous and excruciating last resort. Some are mothers who must escape so they can feed their young. Happy Mother's Day to them.

300 thousand mothers off the coast of Newfoundland watch helplessly and in horror as men pound pointed sticks into the skulls and flesh of their 12-day old pups. Happy Mother's Day to them.

Happy Mother's Day to all the animal mothers who suffer and whose offspring suffer because we insist on adorning ourselves with their skin and eating cheap meat two or three times a day. Happy Mother's day to all the forgotten animals in filthy cages and sterile laboratories and blood-soaked slaughterhouses. Almost none of them will get a visit, a card, a thought. This is my Mother's Day greeting to all of them. Happy Mother's Day. I'm a day behind, sorry. But we're lifetimes behind.

Owen lost his mother during the Asian tsunami last year. A giant wave washed Owen's whole family, including his mother, out to sea. Owen was the only one who made it safely back to land. But now he had no mother and he would not survive on his own. He was one year old.

Kindly park officials rescued him and brought him to a refuge. There he found a new mother. Mom number two was reluctant at first, but she eventually warmed up to the persistent and lovable Owen. Now the two are inseparable. Here are some pictures of Mom and her new son:







Mom's name is Mzee. She's 120 years old. Happy Mother's Day, Mzee!

(If hippos and tortoises can get along this well, maybe we can, too.)

The following is from The Great Compassion -- Buddhism & Animal Rights, by Norm Phelps, and is a continuation of the previous post. Bracketed text -- except for the last one -- is mine:


To be continued...

Mr. Phelp's expert analysis inspired my own less-expert comments:

Populations don't suffer— not in the real, experiential meaning of the word. Only individuals suffer. They feel suffering, and it may be excruciating and unbearable. Populations don't die—that is only a figure of speech. They don't have a will to live. They don't experience life. Individuals have a will to live, to pursue happiness, to avoid suffering. A population is a quantity, not a being. To every animal that has ever crawled, walked, swam, or flown on earth, life and quality of life (and, as befits the species, relationships with close companions) are all that matter, not whether his species is thriving or endangered. Virtually all animal rights supporters are concerned about biodiversity, and through their vegan lifestyle greatly reduce their intrusion upon the natural world and its balance of species. But pretending that preserving numbers morally trumps compassion for individuals is a game invented by those who would exploit and kill animals for pleasure. I doubt that they even fool themselves with such feel-good psuedo-morality.

In response to Mr. Phelp's rhetorical question about killing off humans to increase biodiversity, some may reflexively think: "but humans are more important." Even if true, that in no way justifies deliberate, avoidable killing of animals. "Importance" to a merciful Creator or compassion-centered moral framework would equate to ability to serve, not a license to kill; it would mean capacity to increase harmony, not destroy it. No, in this case, "humans are more important" is just an empty maxim of convenience, to obscure more base, self-centered motivations to gain at others' considerable expense. When you lack sympathy for other species (or other ethnic groups, for that matter), then imagining yourself or those most like you as the victim creates a double standard. Lack of sympathy, which may be a more fundamental root of evil than love of money (although the two vile conditions are related) is the flaw that enables the oppressor to harm others in ways he would not stand for, which he would vehemently decry and oppose with all his might were the roles reversed.

Finally, note how often hunter "conservationists" insist that one of the necessary techniques to preserve biodiversity is hunting popular "game" animals. What a coincidence that this "obligation" toward nature just happens to be their hobby. Controlling our own ever-expanding population, adopting a vegan diet, developing fertility and other non-lethal wildlife controls, setting aside more space with predators other than humans to manage prey populations—those options are not as much fun, oops, I mean "effective."

The following is from The Great Compassion -- Buddhism & Animal Rights, by Norm Phelps. The bracketed phrases—except for the first one—are in the original:


What hunters—and trappers—have done to coyotes in particular is force misery upon millions of them. They have poisoned them, crushed them in leghold traps, waged vicious war upon them. The resourceful and resilient coyote has withstood the repeated onslaughts of human violence. He has suffered at our hands but he has survived. Has our ability to live peacefully among the earth's other beings survived? I'm not sure.

I think this statement -- "nonharming is synonymous with preserving biological diversity" -- is as ludicrous as it is dishonest. Hunters enjoy hunting. When they chase animals and kill animals with bullets or arrows, they harm animals. Any five-year old knows this. There's no sense in coming up with creative redefinitions of "harm" that include special, self-serving exemptions. Hunters' attempts to portray their bloodsports as virtuous are pathetic.

The man and his son in the picture and in the interview are giddy at having shot the deer. The deer ran for 150 yards after being shot and then collapsed. The boy looks about 12. The father, in response to the reporter's question about whether children that young have the maturity to be hunting, says he is teaching his son to respect the deer.

Respect does not mean unnecessarily killing an animal. Getting enjoyment from it. Looking forward to it. Willfully violating the animal's strongest desires. Failing to think about the animal's terror of being hunted or pain of being shot. Disregarding whether the animal had companions, and how the animal's death will affect them.

Of course, all these aspects of hunting—when not for survival—are the very opposite of respect. The opposite of respect is not hate, it's indifference.

The faux "respect" these hunters have for the deer is really narcissism. They build up the deer's attributes to add grandeur to their "conquest."

They don't even have respect for the species. If they did, they would express sorrow instead of pride about having to kill any of the individuals. They would kill the runts, not the specimens. They would have passed a course in marksmanship, to minimize the chance of crippling the deer but not killing him. Children would be nowhere in the vicinity. Everyone in the group would fire at the deer, to maximize the chance of the deer being hit and dying instantly. They would not care one bit about who took the deer down. The only consideration would be to make the killing painless and quick. They would say a prayer for the deer. They would strive to come up with less violent (and more effective) ways than hunting to control populations. They would admit to being lax in pursuing peaceful alternatives.

They have no right to use that word, respect.

They steal the animals' lives, they steal away the child's true respect for animals, they even steal the word that represents respect.

A thoughtful reader shares this advice for helping possums:


She also included tips on saving baby possums from "Most Common Possum Questions & Their Solutions" on PossumRescue.com.:


For more information on possums, including how to rescue them, how to peacefully coexist with them, their gentle nature, and their importance in the ecosystem, please visit PossumRescue.com. The site also contains interesting facts about possums that I bet you didn't know. For instance, did you know that possums have opposable thumbs on their rear paws? Or that they are one of the oldest species of mammals still in existence?

We share the earth with a wondrous bounty of God's creatures, including our backyard neighbors, the possums. Their lives are affected by our actions, by our callousness, by our compassion. Simple acts of kindness can make a huge difference to these little guys, and contribute to a more peaceful, harmonious world.

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Related post:

Joy to the World

Run, rabbit
To safety
Find a hollow log
Tomorrow eat clover blossoms and sweet grass
So I can see you another day...

This is the source, the fountain. The original vegan blog, and a continuing source of inspiration.

Author Ryan MacMichael has been publishing the veg blog for six years now, and it's as strong as ever. Whether the topic is lighthearted and frivolous or intensely serious, Ryan's style is calm, considerate, knowledgeable, modest—and unflinchingly committed. His posts are friendly and conversational yet powerful.

I've had the distinct honor and pleasure of meeting Ryan. He's the most down-to-earth, unassuming guy you'll ever meet.

All of us blogging about animals and vegan issues owe a debt of gratitude to Ryan. As far as I'm concerned, his blog is the standard. Here's to many more years of the veg blog.

Hurricane Katrina is not over for these animals, and many more. And there are other disasters all over the globe that displace companion animals, leave them homeless, and bring about lonely, slow deaths. Bravo to Eric Rice, keeper of Animal Disaster News (ADN) and Eric's Dog Blog , for being a clearinghouse of information about animal victims of disasters, and for alerting the world to ongoing, protracted crises long after the hoopla in the media dies down—or when the story is ignored in the media.

Even though these sites are mostly "just" about companion animals, I consider them to be of vital importance and worth. Our companion animals are family, and for many, including me, our window to all non-human beings. Although—praise all that is holy—many companion animals have wonderful lives, loving families, and permanent homes, the number that suffer year after year is staggering and shameful.

Moreover, ADN is far more than "these animals need homes" — as valuable a service as that is. It critically examines companion animal issues and rightfully condemns human callousness and cruelty. Check out this post, and this one.

Heartfelt thanks to Eric Rice for providing these sites, for taking action, for speaking up on behalf of animals who need a voice.

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Note: I have one more blog to talk about, then it's on to a myriad of other topics. Down the road, I will be reviewing / introducing more animal-related blogs. Isn't it great that we have so many of them?

I liked this relatively new blog right from the start because—my impression—it offers unique points of view and forces you to think. I like that the posts ask "what does it all mean?," "why do we do what we do?" and "what should we do?" I like that the blog takes risks, exposes itself; to espouse challenging, even disquieting ideas is to invite rebuttal and criticism.

There is some beautiful stuff here. The author delves into philosophy, psychology, and ethics, but—if I can say this—with heart. Not just to pontificate, but with purpose, to bring peace to those who, because of our cruelty and indifference, have no peace. (And in bringing peace to others, of course we give it to ourselves.)

Also known, or was known, as Quarter-Life Crisis. Part vulnerable, part genius. Part diary, part parable. Humble hero, street-level saint, a splash of Mary Tyler Moore. All vegan. You'll laugh and cry in the same paragraph. She's the girl least likely to admit all this. It may be her quarter-life-crisis, but the subtle wisdom in her writing helps us overcome, if not fend off, our own crises.

But what I really wanted to say, someone else has already said, in a recent comment to vegan chai: "I just wanted to tell you I love reading your blog -- you sound like such a nice person, and I enjoy the many topics you write about." My thoughts exactly.

Vegan Chai was one of the first blogs I started regularly reading. In one of her early posts, the author said "vegan chai" made her very happy. She's not the only one.