Wednesday 24 August 2005

Hypocrites!

A UK guinea pig farm is closing down in a few months. The owner has had to give in to years of constant and very violent intimidation from animal rights extremists. He and his family were stalked; their premises were broken into and trashed several times; they received death threats, etc. By announcing the closure of their farm, he’s hoping that the body of his mother-in-law will be returned: it was stolen from the local churchyard.

Who uses that kind of tactics to blackmail someone? Who are the criminals here?

I love animals, but I’m not a vegetarian and I cannot be against animal experimentation [addendum: strictly for medical reasons]. A few years ago, I had cancer and my life was saved by proton therapy, which, I’m sure, was tested on animals first. I take thyroxine every day. It’s synthetic and must have been tested on animals. Without it, I couldn’t function properly. I am grateful to the scientists who developed those treatments and to the animals that suffered and lost their lives in the process.

I would never deliberately hurt an animal but faced with a choice between saving an animal or a human being, I know what I would do.

Loving animals doesn’t automatically make you a better person. Hitler was a vegetarian and apparently adored animals. I wonder how many of the mob that made the lives of the farm owners a misery abuse their children in some way. I wonder how many of them would refuse life-saving treatment if they or their nearest and dearest developed a serious illness.


Slap!

16 comments:

  1. I think a big distinction has to be made between animal experimentation for medical reasons (and NOT the ones that 'prove' things we already know), and for testing beauty products. Human guinea pigs (volunteers, ideally, LOL) should be used for cosmetics experimentation. The big companies can afford to pay them.

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  2. Oh, absolutely! Thanks for pointing it out. I have amended my post. :-)

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  3. Ew! They held a corpse hostage? Oh slap slap SLAP!

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  4. Yep! How ugly is that?!

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  5. Uh...do people in the UK EAT guinea pigs?

    That's totally ick about the corpse.

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  6. No, D, we don't. LOL! They were bred specifically for scientific experimentation.

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  7. People in South America eat guinea pigs! And why not? They're like little short-eared lapins...

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  8. I'm sure they're quite tasty too. I'd have no problem with it, actually: I'm French and I'll eat anything (within reason). As a child, I used to spend a lot of my holidays on a farm and I know I've eaten some of the bunny rabbits, chicks and ducklings I used to play with. I was quite distressed when I found out, though.

    The Brits are very squeamish about everything. You name it; they don't eat it. It doesn't stop them from eating battery chickens and other animals kept in disgraceful conditions.

    Anyway, guinea pig is not a traditional dish in Europe, so the guinea pigs in question were going to have a different fate.

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  9. Ah, so that's where Americans get their food fear. Because Americans are just a kind of Brit!

    And P.S. you are utterly right about the medical experimentation.

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  10. Got to be why. I expect things will change gradually here with the influence of people from different corners of the world, with different culinary traditions. It will take a long time, though.

    Do Americans have a fear of...oh, oh, no...shhh...needles? Britons are terrified of them. I went for a blood test the other day and the nurse goes, "And now you'll feel a slight prick and..." Oh, get on with it, woman; it's only a tiny needle! A lot of people here almost refuse treatment if it involves a small injection.

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  11. Oh yes, needles strike fear into the hearts of everyone who isn't a heroin addict. I myself am turned into a blubbering heap of gelatin when told I must be stuck with one. That's right: I'll gladly take a fist in the face (martial arts training, you know), but a little needle coming at me might as well be the apocalypse.

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  12. I don't believe a word of it, T. LOL!

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  13. I have a huge fear of blood and anytime i have to go in for bloodwork they assume I have a fear of needles. Ah, needles are no problem - it's the blood that I can't stand! And they look at me like I'm a freak!

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  14. You wouldn't be made to feel a freak here: everyone is afraid of everything. LOL!

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  15. i cannot bear these animal rights extremists - they are so utterly hypocritical, that's what gets me

    they say they are against violence perpetrated against animals but actually they mean nice fluffy animals and not human beings

    besides, the law in the UK *requires* medicines to be tested on animals and if they force these centres to close down, the temptation will be to set up centres in countries who are less vigorous about making sure animals are treated with respect whilst being subjected to tests

    yes, pharmaceutical companies should be looking at alternatives to animal testing - and i think we need to think more carefully about testing on primates - but we're not there yet and i also wonder how many of these extremists have themselves benefitted from drugs that were tested on animals (perhaps an undercover reporter will rifle through some medicine cabinets!)

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  16. I'm so glad you agree, UC. :-)

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