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WHY I BECAME VEGAN

12/7/2014

4 Comments

 
 My respect for all animals expanded after a particular appreciation for one -- the orca. Last year I became an advocate for cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) after seeing the documentary Blackfish, which reveals the truth behind cetaceans kept in captivity for entertainment. Orcas swim up to 100 miles a day in the wild, but in captivity are trapped in a concrete box. I began to tell everyone I came across why captivity is inhumane, and encouraged them to not buy a ticket to marine parks that hold cetaceans. People would frequently respond with, "So you're an animal activist?" But as I thought about it, I realized that I wasn’t. I was an advocate for cetaceans, but because I still ate farm animals at the time, I couldn’t respond “yes” to that question. I came to the logical conclusion that someone’s life is worth more than the taste of meat, so I became vegetarian. Little did I know, I was still supporting animal cruelty.
A few months later, my dad, who had been vegetarian for 40 years, said that he was thinking of becoming vegan for ethical reasons. Veganism was a foreign idea to me. If cows producing milk and chickens laying eggs are natural, what’s so unethical about purchasing those products?

Soon the answer to that question became apparent. It’s painfully simple: Cows, like all other mammals, produce milk for their own calves. No one else. Not for baby, teenage, and adult humans, who are the only species that drinks a different species’ milk. However, because society demands cow milk, few people question its necessity.
When I saw how the dairy industry actually operates, I was beyond disturbed. Female cows are consistently inseminated, and when they have been abused to the point where they are so exhausted they often collapse, they’re sent off to a slaughterhouse. All of this torture just so humans can steal their calves milk and drink it?

I stopped eating and drinking anything that contained dairy products after I discovered this. However, I was still unaware of yet another torturous system. I found out in a video from the nonprofit organization Mercy For Animals, that every single day hundreds of thousands of male chicks are ground up alive or thrown away to suffocate to death. All of this suffering simply for the reasons that they won’t lay eggs and don’t grow fast or big enough for the industry to profit off of their meat. Workers in these factories use a machine to chop off a portion of the female chicks’ beaks (which are very sensitive) so that they won’t be able to peck at each other when crowded together. They are cramped so close to each other that they can’t even spread their wings, and remain in those conditions until brutally slaughtered.  
In addition to reducing animal cruelty, there are more benefits to the vegan lifestyle that I found out while doing my research.  I learned eating a plant based diet was much more sustainable than a diet that includes animal products. The United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP), states that “impacts from agriculture are expected to increase substantially due to population growth increasing consumption of animal products ... A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products."

As someone who cares about the environment, I was angry that I was funding an industry that actively destroys it. I couldn’t call myself an environmentalist while supporting this industry.

Considering that I was finally informed about the cruelty of the meat, dairy, and egg industries, as well the environmental harm it causes, I no longer had any excuse to support this business, so I became vegan.

Since I made this transition, I have felt happier and healthier. I’ve been exposed to amazing foods that I used to be reluctant to try because I was so accustomed to the fatty and salty foods I ate on a regular basis. I’ve met some of my best friends through the growing vegan community, and continue to do so. Becoming vegan is the best decision I’ve ever made -- for the environment, for the animals, and for myself. 

4 Comments

IT'S TIME TO EMPTY THE TANKS

11/22/2014

7 Comments

 
Picture
A dolphin casts the illusion that it is always smiling. However, that’s actually just the way their jaw is shaped. In fact, they have as wide a range of emotions as humans do. Cetaceans are extremely intelligent creatures. Despite the fact that dolphins have paralimbic systems in their brain, that strengthen their sense of emotion, dolphinariums fail to acknowledge that keeping them in captivity is inhumane. Even though science has proven how cetaceans have evolved, dolphinariums and other marine parks continue to keep them imprisoned. 

For 50 years, SeaWorld has used marine mammals primarily for entertainment purposes, claiming it provides an “educational experience” for their visitors. But in reality, SeaWorld lies to their visitors and even their employees. They constantly argue that orcas live longer in captivity than they do in the wild. That is patently untrue. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), orcas typically live 30-60 years in the wild (females can live even longer). However, their lifespan is greatly reduced in captivity. Orcas are lucky to make it past the current average of 14.

In addition to flat-out lies, SeaWorld attempts to sugarcoat a variety of things. Cetaceans have extremely strong social bonds, and male orcas will often spend their entire lives with their mothers in the wild. Yet SeaWorld has callously separated 25 orcas from their mothers, transporting calves to completely different parts of the world. They claim the orcas trapped in their small tanks are a family, but that’s hogwash. An artificial collection of orcas from different geographic locations who speak different languages is no family. 

Jim Atchison, the CEO and President of SeaWorld, refuses to change the business model of his company, which many believe is a big mistake. Orcas may be a main part of SeaWorld’s business, but business models can change, and often for the better. SeaWorld has the potential to be an educational and fun amusement park, teaching people about the amazing biodiversity of the oceans and why it is urgent we do everything we can to conserve and protect it. Nonetheless, SeaWorld recently announced their plan to build bigger tanks for the orcas. Wrong path to go down, SeaWorld.

The next time you see a captive cetacean, remember that their expression can be deceiving. Look into their eyes and you will notice the suffering of an intelligent being. Facilities that hold marine mammals captive need to release those animals back into their natural habitats or sea sanctuaries and end their cruel breeding programs. Cetaceans do not belong in a concrete box. It’s time to empty the tanks!

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    Blog by 
    ANNE FLAHERTY
    Picture
    Anne is a high schooler activist from Massachusetts who recognizes the importance of protecting the environment, including all the animals within it. Anne has been vegan for almost a year, and considers it the most healthy and compassionate lifestyle to adapt. She is a volunteer for the non-profit organization Fins and Fluke, which is dedicated to marine life welfare and environmental health preservation. She believes taking direct action and educating the public is critical in order to save the environment and end animal cruelty.
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