“I love mankind, he
said, "but I find to my amazement that the more I love mankind as a whole,
the less I love man in particular.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
It may be unfair to say that animal rights activists love animals as a
whole but could not love a single animal however from observation I do believe
that animal rights organisations have no love for the people who actually do
care for animals. Rather than just talk about animal welfare, those that walk
the walk placing time, finance and emotional commitment into the direct care of
animals are the farmers of this country; not only domestic animals raised for
food for all Australians but also by cohabitation, native wildlife found on
farms and especially through active rangeland management of larger cattle &
sheep stations.
A measure of the love for another person, ideal or in this case animals
can be the response to a single event especially one of some urgency. There is
unfolding now an event of much urgency that has a high probability of a dire
outcome. In the gulf area of north Queensland there have been fires of an epic
scale. In the image below developed from the NAFI website compare the size of
the shaded areas of fire events to the 100km scale on the lower left hand
corner.
CATTLE are dying slow deaths in the Gulf Country
after bushfires of unprecedented ferocity reduced more than two million
hectares of grazing land to scorched earth.
With
no grass left, cattle are surviving on leaves and ash. On Kutchera Station 90
kilometres north-west of Georgetown at least 500 head have died, most of them
from starvation. Weak cattle are bogging at the edges of waterholes where they
become easy prey for the dingoes and pigs which have been quick to take
advantage of this on-going calamity.
Rural Press reporter, Troy Rowling has written a comprehensive report
complete with photos, Hard work up in smoke.
Seasonal
rain, at least 2-4 inches (50-100mm), is needed to extinguish the last of the
fires and begin the healing process.
However,
the heavens are yet to respond.
At
time of print, the seven day forecast saw no rain, the 28 day forecast saw no
rain and the latest Bureau of Meteorology modelling does not indicate when the
monsoon will move down.
If
there is no seasonal rain, it is predicted the Etheridge Shire will require at
least $500,000 every fortnight until there is rain to provide enough fodder to
keep cattle on affected properties alive.
Queensland
Country Life accompanied State Agriculture Minister John McVeigh as he took to
a helicopter to visit affected properties last Thursday.
While
in Georgetown he announced the Newman Government would immediately donate
$100,000 to the Bendigo Bank Far North Queensland Bushfire Appeal to help
affected Gulf Producers, which was also launched at Georgetown on Thursday.
Try putting yourself in the shoes of the owners and managers of
stations burnt out in these areas; a fire that has left a bare blackened
landscape horizon to horizon; of surviving cattle weak, staving and bogging at
waterholes; of the despair of the situation and no short term outlook for rain.
Then have a kick in the guts while you are down when yesterday PETA issued a
media release of such jaw dropping ignorance and heartlessness that was
published very widely including the Courier Mail and The Australian; this from
the Townsville Bulletin, Prosecute farmers for cattle deaths: PETA.
Others have said it better than I could such as in this blog post, Ethical treatment of animals = unethical treatment of people
PETA’s response to this urgent circumstance is
just so, so wrong. PETA’s action is that devoid of any humanity or love that it
leaves in its wake a soul destroying carcass of cold empty despair.
The human race is better than that, both in
our treatment of each other and for animals under our care. To give credit
where credit is due individual animal rights activists are raising awareness of
the disaster in north Queensland on Animal Australia’s facebook page. These
individuals are showing that even though they have a fundamental disagreement
with the principle market for cattle from this area, live export, they are
prepared to do what they can for the livestock in these areas.
However
to date the organisation Animals Australia has shown its alignment with PETA’s position
by its stony silence to the unfolding events. Any funds spent by Animals Australia directly
on animals for their welfare is very nominal as revealed by their own campaign
material. Another organisation that professes love
for animals in general but cannot transfer that to practical aid to an animal
in need especially if it may indirectly help the real caregivers, farmers.
If
you are able to help here are the links to BendigoBank Far North Queensland Bushfire Appeal and to Aussie Helpers
