Wagerallsports
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2018
- Messages
- 58,252
Let me first day that I'm an animal lover
I've even considered trying going vegan, but I simply can't do it as I like meat too much
I will admit I've long been ignorant to the ins & outs on animals being raised & butchered for business, food, and survival.
But I've recently had an experience that got me thinking a lot.
My daughter joined the FFA in school this year (Future Farmers Of America)
Each student in this club is assigned/given a pig/hog, that they are to nurture.
Every morning and afternoon, the student must feed the hog before & after school.
They must also clean the pen daily, groom the pig occasionally, and make sure it's fan or heater is on accordingly.
Not to mention training the pig to follow your lead when walking them. Called showmanship.
It's a lot of work for months.
In the end, the hog is shown by the student at the local Fair, the judge ranks them and the student, then a few days later the hog is auctioned off to local businesses.
The student then gets to keep any profits after sold.
I get it, as it teaches many things.
But over time I began to notice things.
Like how smart this pig was in many ways, every time I assisted my daughter.
I literally thought to myself "this pig/these pigs seem smarter than dogs are".
So i got curious and began doing research.
Turns out, pigs are considered and proven to be 4th-5th smartest animals on earth.
Smarter than dogs!
Just as I had thought.
After learning all of this, every time I was with my daughter helping, and watching other students with the animals, it became more apparent to me how smart they are indeed.
This actually began to bother me a lot.
Raising such smart animals, as pets, then slaughtering them.
We don't do this to dogs, who aren't nearly as smart as pigs.
We don't do this to cats, who aren't nearly as smart.
We don't do this to horses.
And so on.
I don't have the slightest 2nd thought it concerns when it comes to far less intelligent animals like chickens, cows, and fish, being raised and/or used for food.
But it seems to bother me immensely with these pigs and very smart animals, who get attached to you.
So, with all of this being said, I suppose I'm looking for everyone else's thoughts & opinions on this question:
Should intelligence factor in our decisions as to which animals we rely on for food?
As for my daughter, here she is showing her pig and her 'showmanship' for everyone.
And let's just say I'm hoping she doesn't choose to do this again next year....
I've even considered trying going vegan, but I simply can't do it as I like meat too much
I will admit I've long been ignorant to the ins & outs on animals being raised & butchered for business, food, and survival.
But I've recently had an experience that got me thinking a lot.
My daughter joined the FFA in school this year (Future Farmers Of America)
Each student in this club is assigned/given a pig/hog, that they are to nurture.
Every morning and afternoon, the student must feed the hog before & after school.
They must also clean the pen daily, groom the pig occasionally, and make sure it's fan or heater is on accordingly.
Not to mention training the pig to follow your lead when walking them. Called showmanship.
It's a lot of work for months.
In the end, the hog is shown by the student at the local Fair, the judge ranks them and the student, then a few days later the hog is auctioned off to local businesses.
The student then gets to keep any profits after sold.
I get it, as it teaches many things.
But over time I began to notice things.
Like how smart this pig was in many ways, every time I assisted my daughter.
I literally thought to myself "this pig/these pigs seem smarter than dogs are".
So i got curious and began doing research.
Turns out, pigs are considered and proven to be 4th-5th smartest animals on earth.
Smarter than dogs!
Just as I had thought.
After learning all of this, every time I was with my daughter helping, and watching other students with the animals, it became more apparent to me how smart they are indeed.
This actually began to bother me a lot.
Raising such smart animals, as pets, then slaughtering them.
We don't do this to dogs, who aren't nearly as smart as pigs.
We don't do this to cats, who aren't nearly as smart.
We don't do this to horses.
And so on.
I don't have the slightest 2nd thought it concerns when it comes to far less intelligent animals like chickens, cows, and fish, being raised and/or used for food.
But it seems to bother me immensely with these pigs and very smart animals, who get attached to you.
So, with all of this being said, I suppose I'm looking for everyone else's thoughts & opinions on this question:
Should intelligence factor in our decisions as to which animals we rely on for food?
As for my daughter, here she is showing her pig and her 'showmanship' for everyone.
And let's just say I'm hoping she doesn't choose to do this again next year....
