From: ra-AT-alor.univ-montp3.fr (Ronald Creagh, Moderator, Research on Anarchism List)
Date: 01 Feb 1997 08:01:00 UTC   (04:01:00 AM in author's locale)
To: ra-l-AT-bred.univ-montp3.fr

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 10:54:12 -0800 (PST)
>From: Bob Helms x341465 <bhelms-AT-iww.org>
Dear Friends,
I would like to interject a few comments regarding the treatment
of animals in India. I lived there for obout ten months once.
1. It's true that most indians are vegetarians, and that this
reduces the number of animals raised for the purpose of killing them, BUT
2. To say that, because of Hinduism and Jainism, animals are treated with
any sort of kindness in daily Indian life is something like saying that
christians generally avoid making money because Jesus warned that rich men
would have a hard time getting into heaven.
The streets of India are overflowing with horribly mistreated and
neglected animals. Wagon drivers beating the protruding ribs of their
oxen with long sticks, diseased stray dogs showing evidence of torture,
cows with broken feet hobbling around aimlessly, and oceans of starving
cats and other small animals scrounging through open sewers for food
--these are a few of the images I remember from India.
People there have neither the time nor the resources to look
after the welfare of animals. Whatever they may think about animals'
souls, they let the animals go to hell without a thought, souls and all.
Buffalo, or "Water Buffalo," are very common there, but one almost
never sees a male, because only an occasional stud is allowed to remain
alive out in the country, and all others are killed at birth.
In case anyone is interested, I'm not a vegetarian, but I know
that I should be, both for reasons of health and reasons of conscience.
> religions put forward the notion that animals possess souls. As such,
> ethical treatment of animals, in respecting their *rights*, is central to
> these faiths (Hinduism, Jainism). There may be half a dozen (very good)
> centres for abused and mistreated farm animals [read: all of them] in the
> U.S. There are *hundreds* in India. India has been the cradle of
> vegetarianism, which is certainly a cornerstone of animal rights. And
> while people may be quick to dismiss the vegetarianism of Indians as
> being cultural or religious, if one goes deeper into what these labels
> mean, you're talking about a very deep-seated respect for animals.

And if there are "Hundreds" of animal sanctuaries in India, that's
very very few. Think about it: 950,000,000 people...
Best Regards,
Robert Helms

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Moderator/Moderador/Moderateur : Ronald Creagh
Co-Moderator : John P. Clark
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