This myth is used by people who wish to justify their continued exploitation of cows and other nonhuman animals. It seems to involve four main assumptions, which I will attempt to address in this post. Assumption 1: There are no wild cows Assumption 2: There are no animals alive today that we don't eat Assumption 3: No animal that humans have eaten has ever gone extinct Assumption 4: It would be bad if domesticated cows went extinct Assumption 1: There are no wild cows 10 species of wild cows exist today*. Unfortunately, nearly all of them are endangered or at risk due to habitat destruction and hunting. Many of them, like the Banteng, now live in reserves and zoos around the world. Their existence in the wild proves that there are niches and environments that cows are able to live and thrive in. There are even groups of 'feral' domesticated cows in Australia which are killed for fun and for food, who have proven that they are able to survive in the bush without human intervention. Assumption 2: There are no animals alive today that we don't eat If animals have to be eaten to stop them from becoming extinct, then there should be no animals alive today that are not eaten. However, this is not the case. There are, in fact, many animals alive today that are not commercially bred and eaten (or even hunted). Many of them happen to be doing quite well in fact. I'll admit that there aren't many animals that the more 'adventurous foodies' haven't tried, so I'm just looking at the ones that are not commonly eaten (at least, not in Australia). There are some animals in Australia that are only allowed to be hunted and eaten by some Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, as they are otherwise protected, such as sea turtles and dugongs. As such they are not included on this list. I've listed a few examples of animals doing well without being bred to be eaten below:
Assumption 3: No animal that humans have eaten has ever gone extinct Humans have eaten a wide variety of animals over time, many of which have gone extinct. I'll try and focus on some more recent examples. These examples show that human consumption of an animal does not guarantee their survival as a species. The Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) became extinct due to habitat destruction and over-hunting (BirdLife International 2012). The over-hunting meant not only that their numbers dwindled rapidly, but also that they were not able to survive properly as they were used to being in large flocks which protected them from other predators (The Department of Vertebrate Zoology 2001). The last wild bird was shot in 1900, and the last captive bird died in 1914 (BirdLife International 2012). Steller's sea cow was discovered in 1741 and had been hunted to extinction just 27 years later, in 1768 (Turvey & Risley 2006). Vig aurochs by phan-tom. The ancestor of the domesticated and exploited cows that we use for food is in fact already extinct. The last Auroch (Bos primigenius) died in 1627 despite efforts by royalty to save them from over-hunting and other effects by providing them with their own land (Large Herbivore Network n.d.). There are also many animals that are currently at risk of being eaten to extinction, such as the Pacific Bluefin Tuna and Chinese Giant Salamander. Allow me to repeat myself: "human consumption of an animal does not guarantee their survival as a species." Assumption 4: It would be bad if domesticated cows went extinct A tumblr acquaintance of mine once said “individuals suffer, species do not”. The individual cows are the ones we should care about, not if a species exists or not. Domesticated cows that are used for flesh, skin and milk products are exploited and suffering individuals. We should be caring more about these individuals than the existence or not of a species, which (to me) seems more like it's about us and our ability to 'keep' and 'save' species than care about individuals. From an ecosystems perspective, they do not currently fill a niche. Perhaps some that are closest to their ancestors could fill the niche that they once filled before becoming extinct, however, for the most part, we seem to have destroyed these habitats. While I do not think that it would be a 'bad' thing for cows to die out, I sincerely doubt that it is a thing that would occur. Based on previous examples of animals that have been rescued from exploitation and death for food, it is likely that cows would be given a safe place to live. I think it likely that some kind-hearted people would use land for the cows to live on. It's even possible that some would even be allowed to breed naturally in a safe environment (and at sustainable levels). ______________________________________________________________________________________________ REFERENCES
*This number might be less as this website stopped being updated in the middle of 2009. Leave a Reply. |
Vegan Myths
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