Earthlings Part 2

Interestingly enough, by part 2 of Earthlings my anger was more apparent to me than my sadness. I am furious at the idea that there are people in this world who could torture these animals as if they were nothing. It was disgusting to watch as men rubbed chili powder into the eyes of the India cows and slaughtered them in front of each other. I cannot image the fear those cows felt as they watched these evil people hack their dull blades into the other cows knowing they were next and there was no escaping. To have so little regard for the lives of other living creatures, I will never understand.
This section of Earthlings covered clothing, hunting, animal testing and entertainment.

India cows are purchased from poor families in India "who sell them only after assurance that the animals will live out their lives on farms"(p.351). It is sickening to know that families are being lied to about the cows' fate. In my opinion, it is important for people to know where their clothing truly comes from and the traumatizing slaughter the india cows face just so that humans can wear their skin. Equally as repulsive is the mass capture and killing of defenseless wildlife for their fur. According to Earthlings, "over 100 million wild animals are murdered for their pelts every year, 25 million in the United States alone" (p.353). The images of the animals being skinned alive and left for dead left me reeling. It is devastating to know that fur can be so important to some that they would ignore the incredibly brutal killing of so many animals. I think that people in general find it easier to live in ignorance than to comprehend the manner in which the animal they are wearing was tortured.

Hunting is definitely controversial, especially in a place where so much of it occurs. Personally, I don't see how shooting an animal is even considered a sport and it's amazing how young children begin hunting as well. I'm thankful that there are regulations in place, but I have no idea how strictly the regulations are followed. Earthlings states that "hunters kill over 200 million animals every year" (p.356). I have been told by countless friends and family the myth of fish feeling no pain. Earthlings asks to "consider that their sensory organs are highly developed, their nervous systems complex, and their nerve cells very similar to our own, and their responses to certain stimuli immediate and vigorous" (p.357). Fish do feel pain.

The cruelty behind the animal testing seen in Earthlings was remarkable. Although I do my best to stay clear from purchasing products that were tested on animals, it is virtually impossible with so many companies testing their inventions on innocent animals before the human trials regardless of the fact that  "results maintained on animals aren't necessarily applicable to humans." To combat animal testing people should be aware of what products were tested on animals. (PETA offers a large list of items to steer clear from)

As for the entertainment portion of the movie, I found the abuse to the elephants particularly alarming. The man who is screaming at Becky the elephant as though she should be able to understand his commands was infuriating. The man clearly enjoyed inflicting pain upon the poor animal, evident in his hollering and threats. It is unnatural for any animal to be doing insane stunts to entertain humans and they would not be doing them were it not for their fear of being punished.

The Starfish Story perfectly illustrates the notion that to save just one animal is making a difference. PETA suggests that the best thing we can do is "respect all species and their wonderful attributes and beauty" (p.414). Respecting all animals and sharing one's knowledge of the treatment of animals is essential to stoping animal cruelty.