A cow escapes the slaughterhouse (one of a few similar recent stories that simultaneously thrilled and crushed me), and because of its unique status as a survivor, it is spared.
And the hypocrisy continues:
"I had policemen come up and tell me they couldn't stand to watch anymore because she was going under," Morris said. "They were overjoyed when she got to the sandbar. I've been around that before and have never seen that degree of determination. Now that she has a name, she's definitely destined to live."I think we need to start naming every cow and introducing them to the public, maybe giving them a chance to escape slaughter so the audiences of American Heifer can decide who lives and who dies... with a toll-free call. People like this one:
"After all of the work it's done, it deserves to live," said Great Falls resident Mary C. Van Cleave. "For being so intelligent and outsmarting the cops and everybody else, I think it should live."After all the work it's done? For outsmarting the cops? (Hey, let's apply that to human criminals, while we're at it) Most cows are at least intelligent enough to fight for their own survival if given a chance. Molly B. just got lucky.
Yet, despite an opportunity to witness the true miracle of life, most people still compartmentalize this event:
When Missoula resident Annie Garde heard about Molly B., she said she wanted to do whatever it took to save the heifer.She'll do whatever it takes to save this one heifer. Won't go vegetarian to save any others, but this one deserves to live... probably. Gee, it's just so touching when they become individuals, isn't it? Newsflash, Ms. Garde, they're all individuals!
"If they want to take up a collection to pay someone to keep the cow alive, I'd be more than happy to contribute," she said. "I probably won't become a vegetarian because of it, but it probably deserves to live. When one breaks out of the pack, it's so touching."
Don't get me wrong. Obviously I'm thrilled Molly B. will be spared. It's the rationale that drives me bonkers! Hopefully you can see why this story is so frustrating. Some focus needs to be placed on the fact that this one survivor represents all the cows that weren't so lucky. They're just as special.
Categories: cows | vegetarian | animal escape | slaughterhouse
