Today I watched not one, but two bunnies get butchered.
I watched because of respect.
Being a meat eater, but also choosing not to eat beef, and wanting to be more conscious of what I'm eating and where it comes from.
I watched because of knowledge.
If I'm going to raise rabbits and sell them as meat rabbits (inevitably), I want to know what their death may look like.
I watched because of choice.
Choosing to eat meat over the years, I never put much thought into it. I'm such an animal lover and have thought I would become a vegetarian at times, but it honestly sounds so ridiculous to me. Especially when I think back to a time of hunters and gatherers. But, my point being that if watching a rabbit being butchered didn't turn me into a vegetarian it will make feel better about eating meat at least.
So, did I gain anything from this or did it feel plain satanistic? As the man put it, "I'm no satanatist". I didn't get any joy out of watching the act, but I dare say, it was beautiful. I didn't go into it thinking it would be. I thought I wouldn't be able to watch the whole thing and whether I did or not, I had a gut feeling I'd cry anyway. Skip this next excerpt if you're just interested in my gain of the experience and not the specifics of how it happened...
It went like this. He showed us his operation, maybe a dozen or so cages that were roomy and clean. All the bunnies looked the same, this put me at ease because I didn't want to see one that caught my eye and it end up being the one butchered. He explained he had does and bucks that he kept for years and were very attached to that gave him great litters. The ones that were butchered were full sized as well but only 6 months old, more or less. Keep in mind a bunnies lifetime is 2 or 3 years in the wild, but there are stories of bunnies living 12 years! This saddened me knowing they die living only a quarter or so of their lives. I tried to keep in the back of my mind that bunnies reproduce like crazy with litters ranging from 4-11 usually. There are plenty of bunnies and those plenty have plenty more to give and not just for their meat.
Okay. He tells me how he's going to do it. In a brief summary this is what it was "I'm going to hold it's ears and back legs and put them on a hook and break it's neck. I'll hang it's hind legs up so it's hanging upside down. I'll cut the head off with a knife and then I use sharp pruners to take off it's front legs and tail. I skin it and cut the meat." Wait for it...then he says, "I do it in about 4-5 minutes tops. You are really going to like the way I do this." And my thought is: bloody bloody bloody sad sad sad. I had realized he had no clue this would be my first time seeing an animal be killed up close and personal, so I explained to him I might look away for some parts and he told me that he didn't want to hurt my feelings. I had a few minutes to gather myself and I decided I would turn my head until he finished the skinning and just watch the cutting the meat part.
I was under the impression he would be killing one but it turned out he had plans for three. He cleaned his station and started the process. I turned away but heard the quick neck breaking. I looked to see him holding the bunny by it's hind legs. Although I thought I wouldn't watch the skinning I think I was so surprised with the quickness and little sound of the neck breaking that I got more comfortable, so I watched. He cut the head which was the only bloody part and i didnt have a full view of it. He made little lacerations at the hind legs that made it easy for him to pull the skin off in a one tug motion. I was terrified of the sounds I might hear, but it was all so quiet, quick and with ease. I was almost in a trance. His knife was so sharp it cut like butter. Soon I was looking at all fresh meat. He kept cleaning his work area, mostly of hair, there were only brief moments where I saw blood and it was very little. I was completely relaxed at this point. Like looking at meat while at the grocery store. Except... this was 4-5 minutes fresh. No preservatives. Not a piece of meat that has been sitting in the fridge a few days. It made my mouth water! No feces, no blood, no weird veins popping out. It was clean and magnificent and my mouth was watering. At this point, I'm ready to watch the next one. This time, I push myself. I will watch him break it's neck.
If you skipped some stuff this is where it's safe to begin again:
This is a part of my respect for the life that is being taken, to feed a family. If I want to know where my food comes from, if I want the knowledge of how this lifestyle works, I owe it to this rabbit to watch it die, to make sure I can see it with my own eyes that it didn't suffer and it was healthy and humane. I watch and am happy. I'm happy because it was quick and I know it didn't feel anything. I'm thankful for the healthy meal it will provide and the guts filled with nutrients that will provide for the soil and plants where they are buried. I'm grateful to the man who let us into his home to watch this meaningful act and give us the enlightenment of the humane raising and butchering of these animals. This man loves his rabbits, he says he will raise them the rest of his life. He didn't have a mean bone in his body.
So, here I am. Still not a vegetarian, but I certainly don't want that chicken from the supermarket I was talking about earlier. I want to go see a humane operation with my own eyes and if I can make it out without a tear or turning into a vegetarian and it's environmentally conscious and healthy, I will eat that meat. And as for our own rabbit operation, I'm not sure that I could kill one of my own. But I can and I will be able to sell them to somebody who I know will treat them well during their final times. I will also try to sell them as pets! I don't want the state of mind of selling a rabbit and thinking it will always lead to death. I will continue to eat rabbit but only from my local farmers who I know personally and have seen do the slaughter. Why I eat rabbit is because I know that the meat is heart healthy, what they are being fed, they don't take up a lot of space, they don't degrade soil but build it up and they are a better alternative to most other meats like beef. I don't think I will necessarily eat a lot of rabbit, because I like to stay away from meat as much as possible all together. I feel so many things about this experience and I think a few words to capture it would be my fear, shock, amazement, gratitude and enlightenment with the whole process. This is mostly for myself to look back and remember, but this is also for current or aspiring meat and animal lovers, vegetarians, farmers and environmentalists. If you haven't experienced this, I hope this can set you up with a positive outlook. Much much love.
I watched because of respect.
Being a meat eater, but also choosing not to eat beef, and wanting to be more conscious of what I'm eating and where it comes from.
I watched because of knowledge.
If I'm going to raise rabbits and sell them as meat rabbits (inevitably), I want to know what their death may look like.
I watched because of choice.
Choosing to eat meat over the years, I never put much thought into it. I'm such an animal lover and have thought I would become a vegetarian at times, but it honestly sounds so ridiculous to me. Especially when I think back to a time of hunters and gatherers. But, my point being that if watching a rabbit being butchered didn't turn me into a vegetarian it will make feel better about eating meat at least.
So, did I gain anything from this or did it feel plain satanistic? As the man put it, "I'm no satanatist". I didn't get any joy out of watching the act, but I dare say, it was beautiful. I didn't go into it thinking it would be. I thought I wouldn't be able to watch the whole thing and whether I did or not, I had a gut feeling I'd cry anyway. Skip this next excerpt if you're just interested in my gain of the experience and not the specifics of how it happened...
It went like this. He showed us his operation, maybe a dozen or so cages that were roomy and clean. All the bunnies looked the same, this put me at ease because I didn't want to see one that caught my eye and it end up being the one butchered. He explained he had does and bucks that he kept for years and were very attached to that gave him great litters. The ones that were butchered were full sized as well but only 6 months old, more or less. Keep in mind a bunnies lifetime is 2 or 3 years in the wild, but there are stories of bunnies living 12 years! This saddened me knowing they die living only a quarter or so of their lives. I tried to keep in the back of my mind that bunnies reproduce like crazy with litters ranging from 4-11 usually. There are plenty of bunnies and those plenty have plenty more to give and not just for their meat.
Okay. He tells me how he's going to do it. In a brief summary this is what it was "I'm going to hold it's ears and back legs and put them on a hook and break it's neck. I'll hang it's hind legs up so it's hanging upside down. I'll cut the head off with a knife and then I use sharp pruners to take off it's front legs and tail. I skin it and cut the meat." Wait for it...then he says, "I do it in about 4-5 minutes tops. You are really going to like the way I do this." And my thought is: bloody bloody bloody sad sad sad. I had realized he had no clue this would be my first time seeing an animal be killed up close and personal, so I explained to him I might look away for some parts and he told me that he didn't want to hurt my feelings. I had a few minutes to gather myself and I decided I would turn my head until he finished the skinning and just watch the cutting the meat part.
I was under the impression he would be killing one but it turned out he had plans for three. He cleaned his station and started the process. I turned away but heard the quick neck breaking. I looked to see him holding the bunny by it's hind legs. Although I thought I wouldn't watch the skinning I think I was so surprised with the quickness and little sound of the neck breaking that I got more comfortable, so I watched. He cut the head which was the only bloody part and i didnt have a full view of it. He made little lacerations at the hind legs that made it easy for him to pull the skin off in a one tug motion. I was terrified of the sounds I might hear, but it was all so quiet, quick and with ease. I was almost in a trance. His knife was so sharp it cut like butter. Soon I was looking at all fresh meat. He kept cleaning his work area, mostly of hair, there were only brief moments where I saw blood and it was very little. I was completely relaxed at this point. Like looking at meat while at the grocery store. Except... this was 4-5 minutes fresh. No preservatives. Not a piece of meat that has been sitting in the fridge a few days. It made my mouth water! No feces, no blood, no weird veins popping out. It was clean and magnificent and my mouth was watering. At this point, I'm ready to watch the next one. This time, I push myself. I will watch him break it's neck.
If you skipped some stuff this is where it's safe to begin again:
This is a part of my respect for the life that is being taken, to feed a family. If I want to know where my food comes from, if I want the knowledge of how this lifestyle works, I owe it to this rabbit to watch it die, to make sure I can see it with my own eyes that it didn't suffer and it was healthy and humane. I watch and am happy. I'm happy because it was quick and I know it didn't feel anything. I'm thankful for the healthy meal it will provide and the guts filled with nutrients that will provide for the soil and plants where they are buried. I'm grateful to the man who let us into his home to watch this meaningful act and give us the enlightenment of the humane raising and butchering of these animals. This man loves his rabbits, he says he will raise them the rest of his life. He didn't have a mean bone in his body.
So, here I am. Still not a vegetarian, but I certainly don't want that chicken from the supermarket I was talking about earlier. I want to go see a humane operation with my own eyes and if I can make it out without a tear or turning into a vegetarian and it's environmentally conscious and healthy, I will eat that meat. And as for our own rabbit operation, I'm not sure that I could kill one of my own. But I can and I will be able to sell them to somebody who I know will treat them well during their final times. I will also try to sell them as pets! I don't want the state of mind of selling a rabbit and thinking it will always lead to death. I will continue to eat rabbit but only from my local farmers who I know personally and have seen do the slaughter. Why I eat rabbit is because I know that the meat is heart healthy, what they are being fed, they don't take up a lot of space, they don't degrade soil but build it up and they are a better alternative to most other meats like beef. I don't think I will necessarily eat a lot of rabbit, because I like to stay away from meat as much as possible all together. I feel so many things about this experience and I think a few words to capture it would be my fear, shock, amazement, gratitude and enlightenment with the whole process. This is mostly for myself to look back and remember, but this is also for current or aspiring meat and animal lovers, vegetarians, farmers and environmentalists. If you haven't experienced this, I hope this can set you up with a positive outlook. Much much love.
Comments
Post a Comment