A pig born with only two front legs has become well known in China, as she learned to balance
enough with her front legs to do some walking.
The farmer said his wife wanted him to get rid of the pig, but he was so moved by the
animal’s determination and strong will, that he decided to keep her.
There are other piglets who have been born without hind legs,
like this one from the Philippines.
And, their strong will and determination to live with only two front legs seems to really
inspire our compassion and sympathy.
These pictures from China also drew quite a bit of online sympathy.
What happened was a storm caused a pig farm to flood, so the farmer said a tearful goodbye
to his pigs before he evacuated, thinking he was leaving the pigs there to drown.
But, when these images were shared over the Internet, there was widespread public outcry,
and the pigs were eventually saved.
Well, they were saved from the flood that is; they were not saved from their ultimate
fate at the slaughterhouse.
The fact is, tears and all, these animals were bred into existence for their flesh and
destined for a violent slaughter at a fraction of their natural lifespans – regardless
of any handicap or flooding.
Although the two-legged piglet and the pigs in the flood rightfully evoke our empathy,
the intentional harm and slaughter that we regularly impose upon these animals stands
in stark contradiction.
Every time there’s an undercover investigation into an animal agriculture operation, we see
footage of what we imagine must be the “worst of the worst”.
But, the fact of the matter is that, even under the best of circumstances, the treatment
of animals used for food is nothing short of what we would otherwise label as torture.
Even the so-called “highest” welfare standards for raising and killing these animals involve
truly horrendous treatment and harm.
We simply cannot turn a living, breathing, complex animal who does not want to die into
food without inflicting immense harm on that animal.
I recently visited a slaughterhouse with the other Meat Your Future co-founder, Bob Rapfogel.
What we saw at the slaughterhouse is something you will see at virtually any slaughterhouse
anywhere in the world – that these animals do not want to die, and they fight desperately
to stay alive.
Our natural inclination is to empathize with and rally behind those animals with whom we
connect, whether it’s a personal connection with our pets at home or a story about a particular
animal like the two-legged piglet.
But don’t all animals deserve our moral consideration?
Why have empathy for one but pay for countless others to be mercilessly exploited and killed
for foods and products that we don’t need?
Animal foods are not necessary for our health.
In fact, as a physician, I can tell you that a balanced plant-based vegan diet also happens
to be very healthy.
That’s why Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate says a plant-based diet is healthiest; and
why Kaiser Permanente, the largest HMO in the country, wants to find ways to make plant-based
diets the new normal for their patients and employees; and why the president of the American
College of Cardiology recommends a vegan diet; and why the chair of Harvard’s Department
of Nutrition recommends that you pick plant sources of protein
over animal sources of protein.
Animal agriculture is also devastating for the environment.
It uses more land than any other human activity, taking up 30% of all the land surface of the planet.
It’s enormous land-footprint is also why it’s the number one driver of deforestation,
which, in turn, is resulting in a profound loss of biodiversity and species, as animals
lose their habitats.
In addition, according to the United Nations, animal agriculture also produces more greenhouse
gas emissions than the entire transportation sector worldwide.
Let's embrace our common sense and respect for animals,
and abstain from consuming animal products.
It’s very easy to do, it’s healthy, and it’s urgently needed to help protect and
restore our environment.
Thank you very much.