Extinction

[undercovers]

If everyone in the world stopped eating meat, as it has been argued recently that we could, what exactly would we do with all the animals. There would be no need for chickens, pigs, turkeys etc. As these animals cannot look after themselves in the wild, do vegetarians then see us looking after these creatures forever with no return or all these animals slowly becoming extinct (or very rare zoo animals) and is wide spread extinction what vegetarins want (they won't be suffering then will they)

[cheyenne]

animals are kept alive and fattened by the continuous administration of tranquilizers,hormones,antibiotics,and 2,700 other drugs?the process starts even before birth and long after death into the food chain.these animals do not lead a natural life?sodium nitrate,chemicals used as preservatives in meat products, including ham,bacon,fish etc also endanger health.these chemicals give meat its bright red appearance. without them the natural grey color of dead meat would turn off most consumers.also the trauma of being slaughtered also adds "pain poisons into the meat,these join unelimated wastes in the animals blood, such as urea and uric acid,to further contaminate the flesh the consumer eats.can you imagine what the animals are going through so meat eaters can enjoy their dinner?.yes im sure all meat eaters would finnish of any stock left on this planet and would probably fight for the last mouthfull of dead flesh but of course we could still preserve the animals that were protected.

[undercovers]

so we agree it all tastes nice, but are you happy to force animal numbers to be reduced to near extinction levels

[*Ash*]

But that was not the question. It's a funny way of looking at it - If you don't eat the animal it will become extinct. That just shows how evil vegeterians are! Remember all: if you want to be a good person, never forget your meat. :p

[undercovers]

maybe it is a funny way of looking at the situation, but i just wondered if vegetarians who propose that we should all become vegetarians had any plan as what would happen to the animals then... do we release them to the wild where they die from lack of food, warmth etc. do we make zoos or nature reserves for these creatures surely only a very small number could be kept in this way, maybe i am being silly as i don't think the situation will ever arise but any views from vegetarians (who actively promote vegetarianism for other) would be good.

[Doolallygirl]

There are more chickens than humans on planet Earth anyway, what would happen if we stopped eating them?!! They would rule the world!! Scary thought!

[undercovers]

*undercovers nips to KFC just to be on the safe side*

[EliPledge]

Don't tey to figure out what vegetarians long term goal is - beyond elevated oestrogen levels - they haven't a clue.

[Donkey]

doolallygirl whats the world chicken population ?

[rinkytink]

Chickens are the world's most populous birds. With a population of over 8 billion, there are more chickens than humans on Earth! Indeed, if we were to divide the entire chicken population equally among humans, each human being would get about 1.25 chickens.

CLICK HERE

[Donkey]

cheers rinkytink, learn something new everyday, especially on here !

[stoo_pid]

First of all chickens lay eggs, cows provide milk. Second, we (in the UK) don't eat ponies, dogs, cats, snakes, budgies, foxes, swans, badgers, goats, otters, spiders, frogs, etc etc. Last time I checked none of those were extinct so clearly they have somehow managed to find a way of surviving without us helpful humans. Third, as a vegetarian, if the only reason for keeping a species in existence (as your somewhat loaded question implies) then, yes, I personally really would rather they were extinct. You are quite correct in one respect, they would not have to suffer anymore. Of course I also don't believe lunch is a good enough reason in itself for allowing other creatures to survive.

[undercovers]

stoo_pid thank you leting us know where milk and eggs come from and that you don't eat spiders. Your case is interesting, you do indeed opt for extinction over being a member of a food chain, which i must admit i find very intruiging. Do you also imply that captive farm animals should be released "to get along fine without us", or do i misunderstand - as i am sure this would result in the slow and painful death of many millions of animals while they suffered an environment they are not evolved to survive

[cheyenne]

undercovers,these animals you eat are purely bred for that reason??stop breeding these animals over a period of time then they would not be around to roam wild etc .what part of that dont you understand undercover???stoo-pid DID NOT SAY release all animals.did you pose this question because the chances are that the majority do eat meat on this site and you were playing safe with this question.and where did anybody get the idea that us vegetarians want to force everybody else into becoming veggies.i have many freinds that eat meat and i can asure you they are not anywhere near as sarcastic as you are being over this issue.

[undercovers]

thanks for the input vinny its good to know that sarcasm is not a result of meat eating. I appricate the input, i may be slightly confused but i think you too are arguing for extinction over being a member of a food chain, thanks. This question was really pointed at people that advocate vegetarianism for all and whether the end result of that would be desireable, i attepted to find out if the vegetarian arguement had been thoughly thought through to its locigal conclusion, which so far it does seem to have been. This question was not meant as an attack rather as a possible "meaty" discussion! Sorry if my wording has caused any offence, kindest of regards undercovers

[stoo_pid]

Just to clear up any confusion: I wasn't arguing that we should have extinction instead of being part of a food chain. I thought I'd made it quite clear it was my personal preferance IF the ONLY alternative was to keep animals purely to kill them. (And for what it's worth I can't see where vinny100 ever suggested they should all be extinct) I also was suggesting (I thought quite clearly) that these animals don't need our help to survive in the 'wild'. That after all is their natural habitat. Why exactly do you think they would starve or freeze to death? Re-reading my post, perhaps I wasn't too clear that I do think we should keep these animals alive (but for other reasons other than to put them in a sandwich). For the record I would be absolutely delighted if everyone was veggie (for environmental as well as moral reasons). However, I also accept that eating meat is natural for most humans. Which is why I don't offer my opinion to any meat-eaters - until they ask for it. One question to ask yourself though undercovers - do you think you would still eat meat if you had to kill & skin the animal yourself before you could tuck in..?

[undercovers]

thanks stoo_pid - i would argue that the animals to which we are discussing after several hundred years of breed are illequiped to survive in the wild as they are at a stage of evolution that requires mans assistance. Regarding your last question, i would relish the opportunity to kill and prepare my food before eating it and have been looking into ways in which i could do this on occation - not very easy in central london ... mmmmm pidgeon burger (",)

[Hamish]

Why don't we get such lively discussions on other issues here?

[stoo_pid]

Fair comment undercovers - like I said, while I would much rather you didn't eat anything with a face, at least you're not a hypocrite. You could always try heading South of the river - plenty of wildlife there! ;-)

[I.R.]

If we stopped eating meat and released all domestic animals to the wilds, they'd still get eaten by other canivorous animals. I don't think a Lion's teeth sinking into a cow's neck would be any less painful than a butcher's knife! If you're a vegetarian by choice, or for health reasons, fine. But to say that killing animals for food is cruel and traumatic for the animals isn't a valid argument in my opinion.

[cheyenne]

I.R have you actually read the comments above???