Animals wild and enslaved

If an animal is wild (and not regarded as a pest to humans) we study them, marvel at them and protect them . . . although sometimes we hunt them too. But if an animal is docile and edible or can make useful products for us, then we put them into the domesticated animal category. They are put to service. Their freedom to escape is out of the question. Usually their body movement is restricted. We take these animals very seriously indeed because they aren’t meant for entertainment or for studying but are essential elements in the human food chain. It follows: if an animal is not for cuddling or admiring ‘it’ must be for enslavement.

[There’s a word problem occurring here: the pronoun ‘it’ never referring to animals because they are not its. I use the plural ‘them’ for ‘an animal is wild…’ (above), then use ‘it’ to refer to animal (below). I used ‘it’ in an earlier blog to describe a foetus of a calf. We have gender specific pronouns for humans because their gender is always obvious but with animals it’s not. Vegans are trying not to use the neutered ‘it’ for animals but what singular referral-pronoun could be used I’m not sure about]
Emotionally, if humans get too close to these particular animals, it puts them in a tricky position later, when they’re signing their death warrants. If we enslave them it’s guaranteed we’re going to make them unhappy, and then since they are going to be murdered (when big enough or exhausted enough) we mustn’t get too friendly with them beforehand.
Humans never truly consider the happiness factor of modern day farm animals. Their happiness would be about the last thing we are concerned with; we are after all holding them in prison and in slum conditions, as they serve out their pre-abattoir days. When the time is ripe and they do arrive at their last day, it must be the unhappiest day of their lives …
Or perhaps it’s their happiest, since it brings them blessėd relief from the torment of keeping company with humans.