Dance Of The Dead
I have had this entry in the works for a few days. It’s hard to write. You will see why.
But let’s start on a positive note.
Summertime goats.
Beautiful Magnethe. She often does that with her head. Movies it back and around like that. I’m not sure why. When she was a little kid I thought she was trying to scratch herself with her horns, but her horns were too small to reach. But now her horns are big and strong and she still swings her head around like that. I don’t think any of the other goats do it. Certainly not as often as her. She is special.
And funny.
She likes thistles. Sometimes you will hear me go “ow-ow-ow-ow” because I’m picking thistle leaves for her.
And like the other goats she stares when something grabs her attention.
3B stopping to smell the flowers.
Mads having a good rest.
3B and Springbok duelling.
They can go at each other fiercely…
And then the next second they are best friends again. Wouldn’t it be great if humans could settle things without killing each other?
Wouldn’t it be great if humans didn’t kill?
Wouldn’t it be great…
I mentioned a new woman working at the playground, in fact there are two. I’m still not sure exactly how permanent they might be. Kurt is on vacation, maybe they are just filling in. Anyway, one of them is called Sara. They’re both extremely nice people by the way. But as I was saying, I was sitting with the goats and then Sara came over with a family, showing them around. I got to tell them a bit about the goats, how old they are and what they’re called and all that. It would have been really nice. It was really nice until they asked if the kids would be staying. Sara answered. She said Vanilje would probably stay. And 3B and Springbok would probably be slaughtered soon, before their meat gets that male goat flavour.
Punch me in the stomach, why don’t you?
Slaughtered. Killed. Eaten.
I knew they weren’t supposed to stay. But they’ve been here for so long that I sort of forgot about that. And I never imagined that they would be slaughtered. As much as I miss Mathilde, at least I know she is somewhere, presumably happy and doing well. But the tought of someone killing 3B and Springbok and eating them… it makes me… sad. And angry. And sad, very sad. I had to cry a little when Sara and the family left. If I’d been all alone at home I would probably have cried a lot.
And then Springbok came over to me and stood still while I scratched him under the chin.
It’s not easy to get goat kids to stand still. Unless you have food for them or you scratch them in one of the “special spots”. Under the chin is not generally one of those spots. It was almost like he knew I needed it. I know, I know. Projecting human feelings onto animals, etc. He walked away and then 3B came over to me and stood still while I stroked him. It is crushing. Crushing. It is killing me.
Why do humans always have to destroy good things? Tear down beauty and erect ugly monuments to our progress. The more we progress the worse we get. And god forbid they would taste like goat, we must kill them while they’re still innocent. We must kill them before they know what is coming.
Ugh.
I assume Sara talked to the others from the playground about this. She wouldn’t just make it up. And I assume there’s nothing I can do. I would offer to work for free, to “sponsor” them if I could. To take them home and keep them safe. But I doubt there is anything I can do. I don’t think they’d kill them if there were other options. It’s not like a couple of kids will make them lots of money or anything. I’m sure they’d rather sell them to another playground or something like that.
Maybe you get used to it. When you have seen kids come and go for years, when you stop seeing them as little miracles. Maybe then it doesn’t hurt.
But it hurts me.
3B is my favourite of all the kids. Springbok is the last of Magnethe’s. They are both so wonderful. I love them so much. And now they’re gonna be someone’s dinner. Tell me the world is fair?
Maybe you get used to it.
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Current Music: Eels – I’m Going To Stop Pretending That I Didn’t Break Your Heart (060630)
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August 6th, 2006 at 23:00
Sounds like your petting farm has a little of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet in it.
Maybe it’s time to find out more about this place and exactly what it does in terms of animal trade. It sounds like the females are being bred to supply the meat trade. Although this is horrifying, most people are indifferent to the plight of food animals.
The one good thing, if there can be a good thing to this, is that the animals enjoy a reasonably good life before slaughter. Most food animals are housed in concentration camps (factory farms). You may not be able to change their policy but you may be able to ensure the animals are humanely killed.
August 7th, 2006 at 6:35
My jaw dropped when I read it. Are you absolutely sure they will be killed?? YOU must find out and do something.
For once don’t think about yourself. If you have any influence on the powers to be, then take advantage of it. Just sitting and crying won’t save them from being slaughtered for their meat.
Like Katherine said there might be something going on behind your back, and you have every right to find out the truth. And whomever this new woman is, I would take what she said with a grain of salt. How come she knows and you don’t??
If there is a way to sponser them, then of course we’d send a few bucks your way. But the real power lay with you. You’ve been there long enough and you can cozy up to the people who are in charge and find out the truth. Will they be killed or not. Just like Katherine said, a lot of people don’t care.
But you do. There isn’t much we could do since we don’t live in Denmark. But if it was me, I’d be really, really pissed. Then I’d want to know the truth. And finally, what can be done to save their lives.
It leads me to conclude what happened to the other animals that left in the past. Did they suffer the same fate as well??
It’s too late for them, but not too late for the two little goats. If you love and care for them as you say you do, then show it. Don’t spend your time just sitting and writing about it. Don’t sit and cry over it.
Do whatever you can to change the impossible to saving their lives. If you’ve done all you can, then sit and cry and write about it. Then we’ll know that you did all you could have done.
I don’t know how it is in other parts of the world, but here in the United States, it’s better to try and fail than to not try at all.
Keep us informed on all the details. Leave nothing out. If you need help or advice, ask us. Now is the time NOT to be shy.
–Luis–
August 9th, 2006 at 7:33
If you’re not a vegan, you’re perpetuating the same system by eating meat and drinking milk, and you’re part of the reason this happens, so why the moral outrage? Is it only evil if other people are eating animals you’ve personally known?