COWS ARE COOL: LOVE ‘EM!
8.
Emily the Cow Who Saved Herself
Emily knew that danger was near. She had never been in a place like this before—a little shed with a five-foot gate behind her. All of her companions had gone through the swinging doors in front of her, and not one had returned. The men who had locked the gate at Frank Arena’s slaughterhouse in Hopkinton, Mass., were now off having lunch. Emily saw her chance, and she took it.
When she made her move, jaws dropped and workers stared in amazement. Suddenly, Emily—all 1,600 pounds of her was airborne, sailing over the gate and out of the building. “A cow just can’t do that,” exclaimed a butcher.
As residents of this rural area west of Boston were to discover, Emily, a three-year-old Holstein, can do many things cows aren’t supposed to do.
Slaughterhouse workers took off after their runaway animal, but she disappeared into the woods and eluded them all day. It was November, 1995, the beginning of an odyssey that would capture the imagination of the entire community. They scoured the woods, leaving out bales of hay to entice Emily back into their grasp. She would have none of it.
Emily the Cow Who Saved Herself
Emily knew that danger was near. She had never been in a place like this before—a little shed with a five-foot gate behind her. All of her companions had gone through the swinging doors in front of her, and not one had returned. The men who had locked the gate at Frank Arena’s slaughterhouse in Hopkinton, Mass., were now off having lunch. Emily saw her chance, and she took it.
When she made her move, jaws dropped and workers stared in amazement. Suddenly, Emily—all 1,600 pounds of her was airborne, sailing over the gate and out of the building. “A cow just can’t do that,” exclaimed a butcher.
As residents of this rural area west of Boston were to discover, Emily, a three-year-old Holstein, can do many things cows aren’t supposed to do.
Slaughterhouse workers took off after their runaway animal, but she disappeared into the woods and eluded them all day. It was November, 1995, the beginning of an odyssey that would capture the imagination of the entire community. They scoured the woods, leaving out bales of hay to entice Emily back into their grasp. She would have none of it.
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Some years ago an English woman who had the gift of being able to understand animals came to my shelter in Delhi. Walking up to a cow, she turned to me and said “ She says that her head still hurts ” The woman did not know that the cow had been in an accident. |
Instead, people reported seeing her running with a herd of deer, learning from them how to forage in the woods. Soon the local paper was running updates on Emily sightings.
Some residents began to think, “There’s got to be some way we can purchase her and let her live in peace.” Soon it seemed that nobody wanted to see her captured. Local farmers started leaving out bales of hay for her to eat.
When the residents contacted the slaughterhouse owners, they were touched by their willingness to help. Granddaughter of the slaughterhouse owner, Angela, had given Emily her name, and even Frank (the owner) seemed impressed by her pluck. At first he offered to let the residents have Emily for the bargain price of $350; then, after consulting his granddaughter, he changed the price to $1.
A blizzard hit, and Emily’s food sources were covered by snow. Local farmers brought grain, hay, and water to places where they thought Emily might be found; the food was eaten after they left, but Emily wasn’t ready to reveal herself.
Some residents began to think, “There’s got to be some way we can purchase her and let her live in peace.” Soon it seemed that nobody wanted to see her captured. Local farmers started leaving out bales of hay for her to eat.
When the residents contacted the slaughterhouse owners, they were touched by their willingness to help. Granddaughter of the slaughterhouse owner, Angela, had given Emily her name, and even Frank (the owner) seemed impressed by her pluck. At first he offered to let the residents have Emily for the bargain price of $350; then, after consulting his granddaughter, he changed the price to $1.
A blizzard hit, and Emily’s food sources were covered by snow. Local farmers brought grain, hay, and water to places where they thought Emily might be found; the food was eaten after they left, but Emily wasn’t ready to reveal herself.
Finally, one December day after they spread out some food, the residents saw Emily. “We looked over our shoulder, and she was right there looking at us,” one of them recalls. Emily had lost 500 pounds and needed veterinary treatment after her 40-day ordeal, but the loving care of her well-wishers brought her back to her full weight.
Emily became a celebrity in the community and people looked after her well. Soon she had a company. Gabriel, a calf that was rescued on his way to a local slaughterhouse and put in the shelter along with Emily. Emily groomed and licked him as fastidiously as any loving mom. Further she was joined by a pair of turkeys, a mother goat and her two kids, and three rabbits—all of them rescued from inhumane conditions.
But Emily’s biggest test was yet to come. Ellen Little, producer of 1995’s film Richard III, started work on a film version of Emily’s saga. Emily did not have to leave her happy home for the lights of Hollywood, though. She was played by another Holstein—and that gave another cow a chance to become a star. (By Michael Ryan, Parade Magazine, May 4, 1997)
These are just a few of the countless stories of cows who value their lives and fear death, just like humans and all other animals. In the world., more than 75 million cows are killed in the meat and dairy industries every year. When they are still very young, cows are burned with hot irons (branding), their testicles are ripped out of their scrotums (castration), and their horns are cut or burned off—all without painkillers. Once they have grown big enough, they are sent to massive, muddy feedlots to be fattened for slaughter.
Emily became a celebrity in the community and people looked after her well. Soon she had a company. Gabriel, a calf that was rescued on his way to a local slaughterhouse and put in the shelter along with Emily. Emily groomed and licked him as fastidiously as any loving mom. Further she was joined by a pair of turkeys, a mother goat and her two kids, and three rabbits—all of them rescued from inhumane conditions.
But Emily’s biggest test was yet to come. Ellen Little, producer of 1995’s film Richard III, started work on a film version of Emily’s saga. Emily did not have to leave her happy home for the lights of Hollywood, though. She was played by another Holstein—and that gave another cow a chance to become a star. (By Michael Ryan, Parade Magazine, May 4, 1997)
These are just a few of the countless stories of cows who value their lives and fear death, just like humans and all other animals. In the world., more than 75 million cows are killed in the meat and dairy industries every year. When they are still very young, cows are burned with hot irons (branding), their testicles are ripped out of their scrotums (castration), and their horns are cut or burned off—all without painkillers. Once they have grown big enough, they are sent to massive, muddy feedlots to be fattened for slaughter.
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Cows, however, are never meant to be killed or eaten by human beings. In every sastra, cow killing is vehemently condemned. Indeed, one who kills a cow must suffer for as many years as there are hairs on the body of a cow. Manu-samhita says, pravrttir esa bhutanam nivrttis tu maha-phala: we have many tendencies in this material world, but in human life one is meant to learn how to curb those tendencies. Those who desire to eat meat may satisfy the demands of their tongues by eating lower animals, but they should never kill cows, who are actually accepted as the mothers of human society because they supply milk. |
Animals too have a right to live.....just like we do. They were created just like we were. Why people kill them for food? I believe a lot in Karma....I’m sure people who treat animals with cruelty are going to be reborn as animals, with the same cruelty meted out to them. An animal, unless fierce and wild, would never kill humans for food. They always reciprocate the love and kindness we shower them with. But look at what we humans do to them, in spite of being knowledgable and aware. May God enlighten such people.
~Donald Perez, Portland
Millions of cows living on dairy farms spend most of their lives either in large sheds or on feces-caked mud lots where disease is rampant. Cows raised for their milk are repeatedly impregnated, and their calves are taken from them and sent to veal farms or other dairy farms. When their exhausted bodies can no longer produce enough milk, they are sent to slaughter and ground up for hamburgers.
Many cows die on the way to slaughter, and those who survive are shot in the head with a bolt gun, hung up by their legs, and taken onto the killing floor, where their throats are cut and they are skinned. Some cows remain fully conscious throughout the entire process—according to one slaughterhouse worker, in an interview with the Washington Post, “they die piece by piece.”
Also keep in mind that every time you choose to buy a leather jacket or leather shoes, you sentence animals to a lifetime of suffering. Buying leather directly contributes to factory farms and slaughterhouses, since the skins of animals are the most economically important by-product of the multibillion-dollar meat industry.
You can help these gentle, intelligent, sensitive animals by removing their flesh from your diet and refusing to wear their skins. To get started, get your free vegetarian starter kit, packed with nutrition information, shopping tips, delicious recipes, and much more from the many sites that are selling them on internet. There are thousands of websites on vegetarianism, animal cruelty etc. which can be referred to. One out of many such sites is VegCooking.com which offers cruelty-free recipes, vegetarian products, cookbook recommendations, and a shopping guide. Kurma dasa and Yamuna devi dasi are some of the world renowned chefs whose vegetarian cooking books have sold by millions. Higher Taste (available at krishna.com) is another great book which offers mouthwatering vegetarian recipes and irrefutable arguments for a vegetarian lifestyle.
Many cows die on the way to slaughter, and those who survive are shot in the head with a bolt gun, hung up by their legs, and taken onto the killing floor, where their throats are cut and they are skinned. Some cows remain fully conscious throughout the entire process—according to one slaughterhouse worker, in an interview with the Washington Post, “they die piece by piece.”
Also keep in mind that every time you choose to buy a leather jacket or leather shoes, you sentence animals to a lifetime of suffering. Buying leather directly contributes to factory farms and slaughterhouses, since the skins of animals are the most economically important by-product of the multibillion-dollar meat industry.
You can help these gentle, intelligent, sensitive animals by removing their flesh from your diet and refusing to wear their skins. To get started, get your free vegetarian starter kit, packed with nutrition information, shopping tips, delicious recipes, and much more from the many sites that are selling them on internet. There are thousands of websites on vegetarianism, animal cruelty etc. which can be referred to. One out of many such sites is VegCooking.com which offers cruelty-free recipes, vegetarian products, cookbook recommendations, and a shopping guide. Kurma dasa and Yamuna devi dasi are some of the world renowned chefs whose vegetarian cooking books have sold by millions. Higher Taste (available at krishna.com) is another great book which offers mouthwatering vegetarian recipes and irrefutable arguments for a vegetarian lifestyle.
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What is the purpose of eating? To live. If you can live very peacefully, very nicely, with good health, by eating so many varieties of foodstuff given by Krishna, why should I kill an animal? This is humanity. Why should I imitate an animal? Then what is the difference between animal and human being? If you have no discretion, if you have no consciousness. |