Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
to splitting of the atom, “fission”, resulted in this case something worse than a nuclear
explosion; namely a population explosion. This human population explosion, with the
assistance of agriculture, has decimated water, land, non-human species, and habitat. One
could argue this “fission” population explosion of pastoralism was worse than nuclear uranium
fission bombs, but we may be not out of the woods of intercontinental missile silos with
multiple reentry canopies or of more advanced hydrogen fusion bombs. Or as Jarred Diamond
puts it, agriculture in retrospect, was mankind's greatest mistake.
The hunter - visionary prophetic - healer shamans are known to morph (in their minds and
souls) into the very animals they hunted by day. The eland had particular spiritual meaning,
although the evidence is tenuous. It is of note that while in trances they still considered eland
not the same as “us” but “them” and were thus able to hunt and kill them for food with a clear
conscience. This us versus them mentality is a central issue in modern humans when
considering what is reasonable in their behavior towards other peoples, and, also to other
animals. Hence many do not have a problem with killing terrorists or executing confirmed
murderers because they are not “us.” Similarly, killing vermin or mice for experimentation, or
fish raises little objection since they are also not “us.” However, fish feel pain, have a family
structure, and will aid injured other members or stay with them when ill. It becomes more
difficult to rationalize killing animals like elephants that are intelligent, have family structures
like us, talk to each other, and mourn the dead. The same applies to killing other charismatic or
beautiful wild animals, though little defense is raised for animals such as wild hogs that may
spread disease to us like swine flu or parasites or for coyotes. Much of this is also based on
our cultural heritage; hence, Pumba the warthog, from Lion King is imbued with a greater
degree of “humanity,” as is Bambi in the movie, but not in the original topic. Whether animals
have “souls” is debated by theologians, based on Isaiah the prophets prediction that in a new
heaven or earth lions will lie down in peace with lambs and be vegans eating grass, at least
until the ultimate predicted destruction of earth after a millennium.
Increasingly, there is also a debate about eating meat from livestock because of the killing of
animals. In the USA some 9 billion animals are killed for food each year; 8 billion chickens,
34 million cattle out of some 90 million head, and 15 thousand bison, among other.
Furthermore, cheaper meat is imported for meat foods such as hamburgers, sausages, and pet
food, sometimes mixed with other none bovine meats, like kangaroo. Indeed in 2012 it is
estimated that about 270 million tons of meat will be consumed globally, and as populations
get richer this will increase to about 470 million tons by 2062. However, because we accept
that we need protein in our diets, this source of food causes little dissent. Hunting causes more
dissent, even though it is argued a wild deer may be happily eating on the range when it drops
dead from a shot, whereas a frightened cow or steer is forced down a Grandin chute into a box
where it is stunned with a pistol with a bolt before being hoisted up by a chain and its throat
cut. And little discussed is the problem of how SPCA, Humane Society or shelters get rid of
pets that cannot be placed: they are either gassed with nerve gas or shot. There are no easy
answers to this problem, but certainly limiting excess breeding of “puppy mills” of unwanted
animals is one. As much as our pets are part of our families, as with other wild animals, we
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