Great News, For Now

31 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , , ,

Minke Whales - Safe For NowThe ruling today, from the International Court of Justice, that Japan must cease its whaling in the Antarctic is great news for the whales. The fly in the ointment, isn’t there always one, is that the ban is temporary.

The ban will be seen as a victory for the Sea Shepherd organisation, who have been a constant thorn in the side of the Japanese whaling fleet. Only earlier this month, there was a collision between Sea Shepherd’s Bob Barker and the Yushin Maru No. 3. There were no injuries, but both ships sustained damage.

Though the ruling is cause for celebration, only time will tell whether the Japanese will comply with the decision of the court long term. It is also only a very small step towards the observation of the right of all living things to be allowed to live free and peaceful lives. The wholesale slaughter of cows, pigs, chickens and a multitude of other innocent animals continues unchecked.

Tradition Or Tragedy?

28 Dec 2013 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , , ,

Tradition Or Tragedy?Having had a few days off, over the festive period, I’ve had the chance to watch the entire series of Whale Wars: Viking Shores about an operation to stop the slaughter of Pilot Whales in the Faroe Islands.

The annual Grind, the driving of pods of Pilot Whales inshore followed by their wholesale slaughter, adults and calves alike, has been going on for centuries. The islanders say that is a tradition, and it is their right to continue it.

It is a fact that, at present, Pilot Whales are not an endangered species, and that the whales killed each year for food, generally in the low hundreds, may not cause that to change. But is that any reason to continue such a barbaric practice?

In the face of opposition, from people like Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd organisation amongst many others, the islanders have adopted more humane practices, but the hauling of beached animals out of the water by inserting a hook into their blowhole, followed by the cutting of their spinal chord in front of their family members can never be called humane.

Traditions are something we all hold dear, in many ways they make us who we are as a nation, but surely there are some that must be allowed to fall by the wayside. In the time of the Roman empire, Christians were fed to lions for entertainment, I’m not sure that would be allowed nowadays.

The bloody scenes on the beaches of the Faroe Islands are just the public face of animal slaughter the world over. Images from slaughter houses and meat processing plants show just how barbaric eating other creatures really is.

Whilst I have given up eating all meat and dairy products, for a combination of health reasons and humane principles, and would like others to follow that path, I hope that any who get the opportunity to watch the series via Sky On Demand will lend their support to the Sea Shepherd and help put a stop to any form of whaling, wherever it may be happening, under any excuse.

Now THIS Makes More Sense …

12 Dec 2013 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Save Our BadgersBeing fortunate enough to live in Dorset, I am surrounded by beautiful countryside and coastline. In this idyllic rural area we are privileged to share our woods and fields with a large population of badgers.

Sadly these shy, nocturnal animals are rarely seen by anybody except when they fall victim to the all too frequent fatal road accident. But their existence is being threatened by the ridiculous government cull, in an attempt to curb the spread and incidence of bovine tuberculosis, which can be carried by badgers.

The cull has been a bit of a farce, with the target figure of kills being missed (fortunately), the pilot cull in Gloucestershire has been called off. Naturally, the farming minister has stated that the cull has been “worthwhile”, but there appears to be little evidence that it will make any discernable difference to the spread of the disease.

Fortunately, the process of thinking the problem through has not been left solely up to the government. The Dorset Wildlife Trust have embarked on a five year programme in which badgers are humanely trapped before being given the TB vaccination. The aim of the programme being to avoid having to cull the badgers in an area where bovine TB is common.

Now, to me, that makes a great deal more sense than trying to kill the innocent creatures who carry the disease. Vaccination of the targets of bovine TB, namely the cows themselves makes the most sense, but that might incur extra cost to the farmers, shame.

Having read so much about the evils of meat and dairy foodstuffs lately, I am tempted to say that we should cull the food industry executives, who have, and continue to disseminate false claims about the products they sell. The sooner we realise that what we are eating and drinking is doing us real and lasting harm, the sooner the badgers will be left in peace.