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Farm animal sanctuaries are vital to the animal rights movement. Following are three reasons why:

1. Sanctuaries give life to to thousands of chickens, cows, pigs, horses and other farm animals who knew nothing but neglect, deprivation, abuse, mutilation and confinement.

Photo: Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

2. Farm sanctuaries enable people who eat and wear animals to bond with them, which can – and does -influence many to leave animals off their plates and out of their closets.

Photo: Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

Jenny Brown and Doug Abel, the co-founders of Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary in upstate New York, have shared the stories of many of the animals to whom given refuge. Today, we meet – and fall in love with – Fawn. Her moving story is helping to expose and educate those who have not yet made the connection between individual animals and the food on their plates.

3. Farm sanctuaries serve as a “recharging station” for activists who work to protect them through vegan outreach, protests, lobbying and other forms of advocacy.

TheirTurn’s Donny Moss visits Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

Please learn more about the life-saving work of Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary and consider making an end-of-year contribution. All donations made before January 1st will be doubled by Woodstock benefactors.

Woodstock’s Jenny Brown with Fawn

1. It’s unhealthy – Dairy milk is designed for the digestive systems of baby cows, not humans. It’s filled with fat and nutrients that help a baby cow gain almost 2 pounds per day.

2. It’s unnatural – Humans are the only species that drinks the milk of another species. Why do we drink the milk of a cow when we create our own? It’s no wonder so many people are lactose intolerant.

Photo: Viva!

3. It’s illogical – Humans are the only species that drinks milk beyond infancy. If our bodies were designed to consume milk for a lifetime, then wouldn’t women produce it long after their babies stop nursing?

4. It’s cruel – When female cows give birth, they lactate for their babies, not for us. Yet, in order to maximize the amount of milk they have to sell, dairy farmers forcibly separate newborns from their mothers. Female babies are raised to become milk machines, like their mothers, and male babies are often moved into veal crates, one of the cruelest and most intensive forms of confinement. Dairy cows and their babies know nothing but physical pain, deprivation and misery. Here is video of a mother chasing after her baby as he or she is being kidnapped. Don’t be fooled by the green pasture; this footage is taken on a small family farm, not on a factory farm where 99% of dairy cows are raised.

5. It’s outdated – Milk is addictive because it creates opiate effects during digestion. That is why babies want to nurse and why people say, “I could never give up cheese.” But consuming dairy is unnatural, unhealthy, environmentally destructive and inhumane. Why not kick the habit by consuming plant-based milk products which are so similar to dairy that you might not know the difference?

Mom looking for her baby

The Onion, a newspaper that publishes satire, irreverently and effectively debunks the “humane slaughter” myth in an article entitled “We Raise All Our Beef Humanely On Open Pasture And Then We Hang Them Upside Down and Slash Their Throats.” The article contains many graphic zingers that expose the extreme cruelty inherent in modern-day slaughter. Example:

“When we shackle a chain to a hind leg of each of our cows and hoist its terrified, quivering frame 12 feet up to the rafters, we can see firsthand just how tender, meaty, and well-marbled its entire body is—and that means exceptional flavor for you and your family!”

Some might find the use of humor in an article about death to be tasteless, but perhaps this unconventional approach will reach open-minded meat eaters who haven’t given any thought to what actually happens to animals in slaughterhouses. Please read the article and share it on social media.

Denmark has banned kosher and halal slaughter. According to British newspaper The Independent, “European regulations require animals to be stunned before they are slaughtered, but grants exemptions on religious grounds. For meat to be considered kosher under Jewish law or halal under Islamic law, the animal must be conscious when killed.” Muslim and Jewish leaders are claiming discrimination, but the Danish government is defending the law, stating “animal rights come before religion.”

Photo from The Independent

In spite of worldwide outrage, the Danish government didn’t intervene in February when the Copenhagen Zoo killed a healthy young giraffe to prevent inbreeding and fed him to the lions. In addition, the Danish government continues to allow the brutal slaughter of hundreds of pilot whales each year in the Faroe Islands. Like every other country that claims to care for its animals while condoning and defending violence toward them, Denmark is being hypocritical. And the government should be held accountable until all forms of animal abuse are abolished. But that shouldn’t stop us from celebrating and promoting their historic declaration that “animal rights come before religion.”