Animal Cruelty: From Cecil The Lion To Factory Farms, The Dairy Industry, & Life Before Veal

Milk Is Murder

By Ghia Vitale
QuailBellMagazine.com

Animal rights and animal cruelty have recently entered the public consciousness in a tragic way. After Minnesota dentist Dr. Walker Palmer killed  #CecilTheLion, international outrage and fear ensued. Despite the fact that Jericho is not Cecil’s blood relative, he was acting as Cecil’s successor and a surrogate parent by protecting his cubs. Rumors concerning Jericho’s mortality cropped up, raising widespread concern about the fate of Cecil’s children. Fortunately, the Oxford University researcher confirmed that they were were false; Jericho is alive, well, and protecting the cubs who survive Cecil. Cecil’s cubs, however, aren’t as fortunate as Jericho, who has since abandoned the “guardian” role. Since then, one of Cecil’s 8 offspring has been mauled to death by a lion attempting to mate with their mother. Losing a parent is a traumatic experience for non-human creatures. It reduces their chances of survival, which is why the death of Cecil’s cub is especially tragic.

Now that the world’s attention has shifted to animal welfare, I think that it’s essential to remain aware of how the meat industry destroys animals’ lives and families. While Dr. Walker Palmer paid $50,000 to murder a lion, Americans collectively pay millions of dollars to go about this sick business. I know so many meat-eaters who refuse to eat veal because the meat is that of a calf’s corpse. If you think that’s guilt-inducing, then I regret to inform you that you support the veal industry every time you buy a dairy product. And yes, the baby cows are crying.

Unlike Cecil, many lions often die in captivity. Over 8,000 lions are bred in captivity for the sole purpose of becoming a “trophy” and never experience life outside of cramped cages. This practice is known as “canned hunting” and removes any chance of escape that these lions might have in the wild. Rich people from Europe and the United States form the foundation of this murderous industry. Each dollar counts as a contribution to the suffering of innocent lives. Factory dairy farms are no different; each penny we spend on factory-farmed dairy products perpetuates the suffering of innocent lives.

Cows must remain pregnant in order to produce milk. Dairy farmers artificially inject cows with hormones and antibiotics to maximize milk production, including BGH (bovine growth hormone), a synthetic hormone that increases the likelihood of birth defects in developing calves. Dairy cattle spend their adult lives in a state of perpetual pregnancy in order to lactate. The final product is milk is made for mass human consumption, not for calves.


On factory dairy farms, farmers separate cows from their babies within a day of being born. Once separated, mother-cows express clear signs of distress. As reflected by numerous 911 calls, the “inhuman sounding noises” and incessant, mournful bellowing concern and disturb the people who live near dairy farms. The calves become “so distressed from separation that they become sick, lose weight from not eating, and cry so much that their throats become raw.” Most of the calves who fall prey to the veal industry are male; since they don’t produce milk, they would be of no “use” to dairy farmers or beef farms, so they’re shipped off to become veal.

Veal calves typically live for 18 to 20 weeks. They spend their short lives with chains around their necks in 2 x 6-foot crates that restrict the calves’ movements. Their muscles never get a chance to develop. Doing so would make the final product less tender. Their liquid diets are low in fiber and iron to ensure further weakness, which is why veal is usually pale. There is “no straw or bedding is placed in veal crates due to a concern that they will eat the straw and gain iron or fiber content which would color their meat.” In absence of other options, calves have no choice but lie on the wooden slats of their crate which are covered in their excrement. By the time they are slaughtered, they are too weak and underdeveloped to flee.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Natasha Kampusch became an animal rights activist after being abducted by Wolfgang Priklopi in 1998. She spent 8 years of her life in a cellar until she escaped in 2006. She was only 10 years old when this happened. In 2009, she became Austria’s PETA spokesperson and advocates for animal welfare-related causes.

“'The animals would, if they could, flee as I did,” Kampusch said in 2009, “because a life in captivity is a life full of deprivation.”

Yes, lions are an endangered species in need of our protection and consideration. But an animal shouldn’t have to be on the verge of extinction in order to “deserve” compassion. No one should have to suffer to know that it’s wrong to detain and inflict pain upon animals. If you don’t want to support animal cruelty, then stop supporting the factory farms where over 99% of farm animals suffer.

#TheReal #AnimalRights #CecilTheLion #BigDairy #FactoryFarms #MilkIsMurder #VealIndustry
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