ANIMED ARAD

PETA in the US came into existence in 1980 in the United States and have more than 1,100,000 members and supporters, making it the largest animal rights organisation in the world.

PETA and PETA Europe are dedicated to establishing and protecting the rights of all animals. Like us, animals are capable of suffering and have interests in leading their own lives; therefore, they are not ours to use – for food, clothing, entertainment, experimentation or for any other reason. PETA affiliates throughout the world educate policymakers and the public about cruelty to animals and promote an understanding of the right of all animals to be treated with respect.

PETA and PETA Europe work through public education, research, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement and protest campaigns.

The following text belongs to

THE WINSOME CONSTANCE KINDNESS TRUST (Australia)

Weapons of Mass Destruction:
Our Knives and Forks.

Humans exploit non-human animals - for fashion, fun, fad and food. Two billion sentient beings are tortured and murdered every week, out of sight and out of mind.

At every possible level it is an ignoble practice. This has been debated comprehensively and the argument has been won resoundingly. Those who justify it are simply enduring the death throes of a bankrupt paradigm.

Apart from the obvious moral considerations, exploiting animals is also profoundly foolish even when examined through our own prism of “self interest”.

The celebrated historian Barbara Tuchmann described “folly” as “acting against our own best interests”.

So, even if we blithely threw our ethics away, and simply looked at our own self interests, the only intelligent response would be blindingly obvious. Eating animals is not only immoral. It is just plain dumb.

Let us look at some simple facts:

The “World Hunger” Argument

20 million people will die from malnutrition this year
Reducing meat consumption by only 10% frees up enough land to feed 100 million people
90% of the grain produced is fed to livestock – and 90% of the protein is wasted by “cycling” it through livestock
1 acre of arable land produces 250 pounds of beef – and 40,000 pounds of potatoes
More than half of U.S. farmland is devoted to beef production
16 pounds of grain produces 1 pound of feedlot beef

The “Environmental” Argument

Primary cause of greenhouse effect and global warming is carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels
We need 3 times more fossil fuels to produce a meat-centred diet vs. a meat-free diet
The US has already lost 75% of its topsoil. 85% of the loss is directly related to livestock production
It takes 55 square feet of irreplaceable rainforest to produce 1 big Mac
We lose 1,000 different species to extinction every year

The “Cancer” Argument

Compare the cancer risk of eating animals daily rather than once a week.

Breast cancer in women

Meat - 3.8 times
Eggs - 2.8 times
Butter and cheese - 3.25 times
Fatal prostate cancer for men
Meat - 3.6 times

The “Cholesterol” Argument

There are 125 medical schools in the US. Only 30 run a course in nutrition
The average physician receives only 2.5 hours of teaching on nutrition
The most common cause of death is heart attack – every 45 seconds
The risk of a heart attack is 50% - the same as tossing a coin. A risk to a person who does not consume animal products is only 4%

The “Natural Resources” Argument

50% of water is used for livestock “production”. To produce one cow it takes enough water to float a battleship
It takes only 25 gallons of water to produce a pound of wheat. To produce a pound of beef takes 5,000 gallons
Current worlds known oil reserves would last 13 years if every human ate a meat diet. If we took meat off the menu it would last 260 years
It takes 78 calories of fossil fuel to get 1 calorie of protein from beef. To get 1 calorie of protein from soybeans it takes only 2

The “Antibiotic” Argument

55% of our antibiotics are fed to livestock
In 1960 13% of staphylococci infections were resistant to penicillin. Today it is 91%
The European Economic Community banned the routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock. The U.S. meat and pharmaceutical industries gave the practice 100% full and complete support.

The “Pesticide” Argument

The common belief is that the government protects our health through meat inspection. In reality, less than 1 out of every 250,000 slaughtered animals is tested for toxic chemicals
99% of mothers milk contains significant levels of DDT. For vegetarian women it is 8%
The contamination of breast milk from chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides in animal products was 35 times higher than for vegetarians

The “Ethical” Argument

We kill and torture 2 billion animals a week!
The gulags we call abattoirs put Stalin, Pol Pot and Hitler in the shade
Killing an innocent, sentient being is always cruel and barbaric. There is no such thing as “humane” slaughter.
The most stressful occupation with highest turnover - slaughterhouse worker
The highest rate of on-the-job-injury - slaughterhouse worker

The “Fitness” Argument

Athlete to win “The Ironman Triathlon” more than twice: Dave Scott (6 time winner) Dave Scott is a vegetarian. His view of athletes who eat animals “Outsmart him. Outrun him. Outlive him.”
Largest meat eater that ever lived: Tyrannosaurus Rex (Where is he today?)

Some noteworthy vegetarians; wont you join them?

Martina Navratilova, Greg Chappell, Carl Lewis, Robert de Castella, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Schweitzer, Billie Jean King, Leo Tolstoy, Isaac Newton, Van Gogh, Voltaire, HG Wells, Pythagoras, Murray Rose, Bernard Shaw, Leonardo da Vinci, Henry Ford. The list goes on.

Links to websites which promote vegetarianism

www.goveg.com

www.KentuckyFriedCruelty.com

www.PetaCircuses.com

www.HelpingAnimals.com

www.vegan.com/faq.php

www.vegetarian-nutrition.info

In Romania:

www.sanatate.org

www.naturalia.ro

The following videos were shot during Animals Australias investigation to Egypt in late December 2006. We have spared you from the most shocking footage, however, some people may find the following videos distressing.
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