A blog by Bree Allen
Extreme weather is on the rise around the world.
From heat waves to deep freezes.
Droughts to floods.
Wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, mudslides and volcanic
eruptions.
You name it and it’s been happening with more intensity and frequency than ever before in recorded history. This isn’t an opinion but a fact that’s been reported by many reputable organizations over the years. It’s no secret that natural disasters are on the uptick, and they’re taking a heavy toll on everyone and everything.
We don’t need official reports to confirm that, though. We’ve all been exposed to news broadcasts that detail the graphic aftermath of these events. We’ve also heard about warnings and evacuation mandates that grant people time to evade impending danger.
Too bad this isn’t the case for everyone, though.
Animals rarely stand a chance.
In emergencies, animals are the most forsaken.
It’s shocking when we learn about casualties from any natural disaster, but sadly,
reported numbers are typically much lower than the truth. Animals perish by the hundreds, thousands and millions when disasters strike, but news and media outlets seldom report that information.
Sure, we see heartbreaking tales of companion animals trapped in homes, chained up to fences or left to their own devices as they desperately fight to survive – and those stories tend to garner a deluge of public support in defense of the animal victims. But what about animals abandoned by their families who don’t survive? Or the families who refuse to evacuate due to lack of emergency provisions available for their animal family members?
We don’t often hear about those stories, but even when we do, the reality is that they’re only the tip of a much larger iceberg.
You see, household animals make up only a fraction of the world’s animal population, and the same goes for wildlife and backyard animals. A vast majority of the world’s animals actually live in captivity, doomed to live short lives in horrendous conditions where they’re slaughtered on factory farms and killed in laboratories by the billions each year.
What goes on in factory farms and labs is nothing short of a nightmare on earth (and quite literally, legal genocide), yet it continues because of how masterfully that truth has been hidden from public view.
Killing animals is more profitable than caring for them.
Since animals are typically regarded as ‘less than,’ they also tend to be treated as such. This is especially true for animals on factory farms, who are locked away and tucked deep into the shadows of society.
Treated like products rather than living and breathing beings, factory farm animals are bred and raised in mass quantities for the sole purpose of making profit. So, when evacuation warnings are issued ahead of impending natural disasters, decisions about their futures are made with profit in mind. For that reason, animals in captivity are often left behind when extreme weather strikes because evacuation and relocation is deemed too inconvenient and expensive.
So, what happens to them when they’re left behind?
They remain stuck in locked buildings, cages and pens with no way to escape from drowning, suffocating, getting burnt, crushed or buried alive.
That’s what happens.
It’s sad, but true. Those poor animals suffer unspeakable ends, but no one ever hears about it, no one is ever held accountable, and nothing happens to prevent other animals from suffering similar fates. Instead, the cycle continues and there seems to be no end in sight.
That doesn’t mean there couldn’t be one, though.
And that’s where we come in.
Knowledge is power and power leads to change.
By working together, we can collectively strive to improve the lives of animals far and wide, starting with this very blog post.
How do we do that?
First of all, we can advocate for stronger animal protection laws by contacting local legislators and signing petitions (like this one, this one or this one). In doing so, we can push for law expansion to include all animals, for stricter enforcement of those laws, and for harsher and unbiased violation penalties. We can also push for the requirement of any entities who assume responsibility for animals to develop and implement emergency safety plans.
Secondly, we can reduce the abuse and exploitation of animals around the world by adopting a vegan lifestyle and spreading the vegan philosophy. Doing so would save countless animal lives in addition to having positive impacts on our planet as a whole.
Third, by liking and sharing this blog post, information can be shared, equipping more and more people with the knowledge they need to stimulate positive change.
Simply put, leaving animals to die without any chance of survival is cruel, but together we can aim to put an end to that cruelty. By taking action right now, another step can be made in the right direction for all animals and humankind.
Every little bit makes a difference and doing something is always better than doing nothing.
So, let’s work together to make this world a better place.
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