People get outraged about cruelty to cats and dogs. I love my dogs to death, but what makes them more special and/or deserving of care than any other animal? Sheep are placid, perceptive animals who are smart and deeply emotional. Recent studies have found that sheep and humans have many things in common. For instance, Keith Kendrick, a professor of physics at Gresham College in London, found that sheep can distinguish between different expressions in humans and that they can detect changes in the faces of anxious sheep. He also discovered that sheep recognise the faces of at least 50 other sheep and can remember 50 images for up to two years. Professor John Webster of the University of Bristol found that, like humans, sheep visibly express emotions. When they experience stress or isolation, they show signs of depression similar to those that humans express by hanging their heads. Like us, sheep experience fear when they are separated from their social groups or approached by strangers. Their heart rates have been found to increase by 20 beats per minute when they are unable to see any members of their flock and by 84 beats per minute when approached by a man and a dog. Playful and puppy-like, sheep wag their tails when they are stroked. They also affectionately nuzzle and head-butt to get attention. Despite clear evidence of intelligence and depth of feeling in sheep, the meat industry continues to abuse them in ways that would warrant cruelty-to-animals charges if dogs or cats were the victims. More than 30 million sheep are slaughtered for their flesh each year in Australia, and approximately 20 million of those killed are lambs. These defenceless animals are crammed onto trucks and transported for up to 48 hours with no access to food or water. A study published by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation found that up to 50 per cent of lambs suffer from dehydration by the time they arrive at the abattoir. A single abattoir kills thousands of sheep and lambs every day. Their final moments are spent surrounded by the smells of blood and faeces and the screams of their companions. The average Australian will consume the equivalent of 90 sheep in his or her lifetime....
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 13:09:28 +0000
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