Letters to the Editor: Root for cows -- don’t eat them

To the editor: What a sorrowful story — 40 cows running for their lives from a slaughterhouse in Pico Rivera, only to be rounded up and taken back there.

At least the one who was shot and killed escaped the horror of the slaughter facility. Let’s hope the one still at large is rewarded with the long life at a sanctuary that all of these gentle beings deserve.

The one bright light in the story was that many people were rooting for the cows’ freedom. That’s not surprising; one day, perhaps even one day soon, we will look back with great shame at having held innocent members of other species captive their whole lives and then given them horrifying deaths, all for the convenience of our easy access to cheap food.

Karen Dawn, Santa Barbara

The writer is executive director of DawnWatch, an animal-rights group.

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To the editor: Thank you for covering important news stories that seem to be about animals and drama but are also about the bigger picture of climate change and empathy not only toward nonhuman animals, but also humans.

The less animal flesh and animal secretions humans purchase, the healthier our human species and our planet will be. Using animals such as cows for food produces immeasurable pounds of feces and blood that end up in our ecosystems, including our fresh water.

And then there’s empathy and the slippery slope effect. When we lack empathy for animals, we lack empathy for humans because humans are animals.

As a human animal, I would ask for everyone to consider going vegan or work toward buying less animal flesh and animal secretions such as milk, dairy and eggs. Do this out of empathy for me and all of the other vegans who care so deeply about all animals.

Heather Thorsen, Beverly Hills

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To the editor: The story about the herd of cows roaming the streets of Pico Rivera is heartbreaking.

Humans can be amazingly inconsistent. Often we cheer for the animals that have managed, ever so briefly, to escape the slaughterhouse (“I say give ‘em freedom if they escape,” one person was quoted as saying), but then sit down to a burger for lunch.

While we cheer for the few who miraculously enjoy an hour of freedom, why not also think of the millions behind the scenes who never get even that short of a reprieve?

Kathy Coughlin, Oak Grove, Minn.