Animals Have Feelings Too

I was brought up to believe that all life was sacred, and that included the lives of animals.

As I grew up, I realized that some animals were bred for human consumption, and although this did not sit well with me I knew it was the way of the world, and accepted as normal practice. However I do have a problem with the killing of animals for sport, men and guns and traps taking the lives of innocent creatures. I have several white- tailed deer that wander through my garden, and although I often blame them for the destruction of my plants (and emptying my bird feeders!) I watch them as they care for their young. How could this beautiful creature be slaughtered and it's young be an orphan just to satisfy a need for man to kill?

I work with my local humane society, and I am shocked at the many cats and dogs that are cruelly treated. One cat had been shot in the mouth by a group of teenagers and had been lying in pain for several hours before being found. It had to have a complete jaw reconstruction, at a great cost to the owner, and suffered many hours of pain. Another instance where a kitten had been placed in a microwave, just so that the owner could see how it would re-act.

These people who inflict such cruelty should have very stiff penalties placed on them, unfortunately it can only be monetary, but at least that might deter others from doing the same thing. We are too lenient at present for those who make animals suffer without remorse.

I watched as some men were putting out many geese decoys in a farmer's field hoping to encourage a flock of geese who were migrating south to land.

Then of course, they would proceed to shoot as many as they could before the geese could fly away, this is called "sport". These geese mate for life so if one is killed out of a pair then the other is left to mourn and face the rest of it's life alone, only an animal some would say, so what does it matter?