Animal Activists – Not Your Friends by Marlene Black
Marlene Black
I have a beef with animal activists. By animal activists I don’t mean animal lovers. Many of us fall into that category but these activists stand alone. They are not animal lovers and I don’t think they have a clue about animal husbandry in the real world. Their ignorance is second to none especially when it comes to farm and working animals. Recently they have been bullying their way onto people’s farms to see if the owners are treating their animals in the manner that these righteous people demand, whether it makes sense or not. Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, they sometimes get a job on the farm, armed with hidden video cameras looking for crimes. These animal terrorists have been wrecking havoc in rural communities throughout Ontario pretending they care with little or no understanding of what challenges farmers face in raising animals, whether it is beef, dairy, chickens, pigs or horses, on a daily basis.
By breaking the law and trespassing on private property, they have tarnished the word activist and it does a disservice to real activists. Many real activists are trying to improve the world, standing up for freedom, or the right to vote or protesting against tyranny or fighting for their lives against dictators. Those are the true activists. Putting their lives on the line for a strong cause. No, the animal activists who like to break laws are ignorant terrorists behaving in criminal activity. Lately they have taken it upon themselves to trespass onto dairy farms looking for WHAT…Dead cows? Wake up to the real-world people. If you have a large farm or a small farm, as long as you have animals, you will have dead ones. Babies are born dead, mother animals can refuse to nurse certain newborns, cows lie down in a rut, can’t get up and die within 15 minutes. This can happen while the farmer is eating supper. Sheep can choke on their corn, rams can charge at each other, smashing their heads together, sometimes until one is dead and horses can kick other horses. There is a long list of what kills animals on a farm and that’s not counting all the wild animals like wolves and foxes that would just love to feast on your free running critters. Recently these animal terrorists ‘discovered’ a dead calf on a farm and dragged it out for a proper burial. They are so out of touch with reality, that we must keep them off our property. They wouldn’t appreciate us wandering through their house, opening cupboards and making sure they aren’t feeding junk food to their children.
Recently a phone call was made by a drive-by complainer that a farmer was letting his cows drink out of puddles on the ground. Now some cows just don’t follow the rules. It’s pretty hard to tell a 1500-pound animal where to drink and even harder to prevent puddles from forming or rain from falling. What mind set thinks this owner isn’t treating his cows well? Like the saying goes, “you can lead a cow to clean water, but you can’t stop him drinking from a dirty puddle”.
Their attacks seem to be against all working animals. They are against zoos, circuses, aquariums, rodeos, plowing with horses, hunting dogs, working sheep dogs, horse racing and pretty much anywhere an animal is used for human entertainment. If the animal is being raised for meat or milk, they are pretty sure you are abusers of animals. The sad fact that they don’t realize, is that often these animals love what they are doing. Have they ever tried to stop a hound when he’s on a track? Good luck on that one. That doesn’t seem to matter though. In their supreme brain, they know what is best for your animals.
Is there a secret agenda that these people are hiding behind? Seeping out from their mouths sometimes, we hear statements about ‘not eating meat’ and ‘we don’t eat our pets’. Their agenda may be to get rid of farm animals and to get people to stop eating meat.
There is no doubt, that some animals have it rougher than others but guess what? Some people have it rougher than others. Some are born into privilege and money and some are born poor where paying bills is a struggle. Most people are doing the best that they can with their animals and would appreciate a bit of consideration and understanding. If you see someone struggling, perhaps they are going through a rough spot and need a bit of understanding instead of that ‘kick them when they’re down attitude.”
The safest behaviour I feel, is to not let them onto your farm. If you raise animals whether for food or not, they are not your friend. If you find them wandering on your property, ask them to leave and if they don’t, call the police as they are unwanted trespassers.
