Animals wild and enslaved

1166: 

If an animal is wild (and not regarded as a pest to humans) we study them, marvel at them, protect them, although sometimes we hunt them.  But if an animal is docile and edible or can make useful products for us, then we put them in cages, and keep them ‘on tap’ for our use.  These fall into the ‘domesticated-animal’ category.

They are kept behind bars.  They are put into service.  Escape is out of the question and even their bodily movements are restricted.  We take these animals very seriously indeed because they aren’t meant for entertainment but for food and clothing.  These animals play an important part in human-lifestyle.  It follows then, that if an animal is not for cuddling or admiring it must be enslaved and imprisoned.

The human tries not to get too close to these particular animals, since they’re always heading towards being executed, when they’re either big enough or exhausted enough.  We can’t get too friendly if we’re eventually going to make them unhappy (about their journey to the abattoir).  Their happiness is the last thing we need to be concerned about, when we’ve got them banged up in prison.  When the time is ripe, when they arrive at their unhappy last day, perhaps they at least know their suffering will end.  Their lives are to be ended and their feelings traumatised, but perhaps it’s a blesséd relief to be free from having humans torturing them.