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https://theconversation.com/as-livestock-numbers-grow-wild-animal-populations-plummet-giving-all-creatures-a-better-future-will-take-a-major-rethink-256891>
"As a teenager in the 1970s, I worked on a typical dairy farm in England. Fifty
cows grazed on lush pastures for most of their long lives, each producing about
12 litres of milk daily. They were loved and cared for by two herdsmen.
About 50 years later, I visited a dairy farm in China. There, 30,000 cows lived
indoors. Most of these selectively bred animals wore out after two or three
years of producing 30–40 litres of milk every day, after which they were
unceremoniously killed. The workers rarely had contact with the cows. Instead,
they sat in offices, programming machines which managed them.
This speaks to a huge and very recent shift in how we treat animals. Over the
last half century, the human population has soared – and so too our demand for
meat, milk and many other animal products. As a result livestock populations
have ballooned while living conditions for animals permanently kept inside have
drastically worsened.
Even as farmed animals have multiplied, populations of wild animals have
crashed. The two trends are deeply connected. Humans convert wildlife habitat
into pastures and farms, expanding living space for farm animals at the expense
of many other animals.
This cannot continue. Humans must reckon with how we treat the myriad other
species on the planet, whether we rely on them or not. As I argue in my new
open access book, the growing scarcity of animal species should make us grasp
our responsibility towards the welfare of all animal species on the planet, not
just those in farms.
Efforts to enshrine rights for animals is not enough. The focus has to be on
our responsibilities to them, ensuring they lead good lives if in our care – or
are left well alone if they are not."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
