with broken limbs or other injuries. In 1986, USDA
inspectors condemned over 7,400 cattle, 3,100calves, and
5,500pigsbecausetheyweredeadorseriouslyinjuredbefore
theyreachedtheslaughterhouse,while570,000cattle,57,000
calves,and 643,000 pigswere injuredseverely enough for
parts of their bodies to be condemned.^133
Animalswhodieintransitdonotdieeasydeaths.Theyfreeze
todeathinwinterandcollapsefromthirstandheatexhaustion
in summer.Theydie,lyingunattendedin stockyards,from
injuriessustainedinfallingoffaslipperyloadingramp.They
suffocate when other animals pile on top of them in
overcrowded,badly loadedtrucks. They diefrom thirst or
starvewhencarelessstockmenforgettogivethemfood or
water. And they die from the sheer stress of the whole
terrifyingexperience.Theanimalthatyoumaybehavingfor
dinner tonight did not die in any of these
ways;butthesedeathsareandalwayshavebeenpartofthe
overall process that provides people with their meat.
Killingananimalisinitselfatroublingact.Ithasbeensaid
that if we had to kill our own meat we would all be
vegetarians. Certainly very few people ever visit a
slaughterhouse, and films of slaughterhouse operations are
notpopularontelevision.Peoplemayhopethatthemeatthey
buycamefromananimalwhodiedwithoutpain,buttheydo
not really want toknow aboutit.Yet those who,by their
purchases,requireanimalstobekilleddonotdeservetobe
shieldedfromthisoranyotheraspectoftheproductionofthe
meat they buy.
Death,thoughneverpleasant,neednotbepainful.Ifallgoes
according to plan, in developed nations with humane