I work in the agricultural industry, and understand full well how food animals are slaughtered and have, in fact, slaughtered cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry myself. I do not find it "sick". It is quite humane. The facilities are designed, with the animals' way of thinking in mind, to pretty much keep the animals from knowing what's going to happen, and when it does, the captive bolt (or in the case of pigs and poultry, electrical current) is swift and renders the animal senseless immediately. They seem to fall even before the operator hits the trigger. I often think how animal rights activists should see how fast it happens. I think most of the opposition to this comes from sheer ignorance of what makes animals tick. People tend to assume that cattle think like we do, and nothing could be further from the truth. Working with them, I have come to understand what motivates them, and what is and is not to their liking. In my travels, I do not find the animals experience "anguish" or any other sort of discomfort. Traveling in cattle trucks may not seem particularly desirable for people, but cattle tend to huddle together on their own, (and poop on each other) and are quite content to hang out in a cattle truck and get covered in poop. It is not a whole lot different than kids in a school bus. There are very strict animal welfare laws that dictate how far cattle can travel without "facilities". If I found anything about it to be inhumane, I would have left the industry long ago. I do love animals, (why else would I have chosen the veterinary industry if I did not?) and I feel that it is my job, and much more importantly, my responsibility, to make sure they are treated humanely. Bob, if you saw animals being bled without being stunned, it's likely to be a kosher facility. What about what you saw was "sick"?
Scott, I understand why you get defensive about hunting, as I am sure you get even more flak for hunting than I do for working in the undustry I do. I don't begrudge your hunting at all, it really was just a question. Part of my job is to assess what is and what is not acceptable treatment of animals, so it's just the way my brain works. I just think about the trapped animal standing there for too long without food and water. You have answered my question about checking the traps on a regular basis.
