1.0HappyCowhttps://www.happycow.net/blogglensmithhttps://www.happycow.net/blog/author/glen-smith/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="ZAbebFyPX9"><a href="https://www.happycow.net/blog/the-innocents/">The Innocents</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.happycow.net/blog/the-innocents/embed/#?secret=ZAbebFyPX9" width="600" height="338" title="“The Innocents” — HappyCow" data-secret="ZAbebFyPX9" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); /* ]]> */ </script> https://www.happycow.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/The-Innocents.jpg600180It is enormously tragic, that the defenseless, the harmless and the gentle sentient beings from whom we might have learned so much, who would have trusted us, and by whose acquaintance our lives could be so much enriched, are rewarded with imprisonment, torture and slaughter. I am often reminded of, and haunted by, a post to the HappyCow blog on July 30, 2011 from Alisa Rutherford-Fortunati. The piece, entitled “Bruno: A New Perspective on Happy Cows” can still be found in the blog archives. The story tells how Bruno, a bull who lived on a small organic dairy farm in the Italian countryside, was slaughtered, his body butchered and sold to pay for the care of the other animals on the farm. I was struck with great sadness by the author’s account of how Bruno, of whom she had grown quite fond, trustingly followed the people who had always “fed him and scratched his chin” as they led him to the butcher’s truck. Bruno’s body was served as hamburgers the next night on the farm where he had lived. Upon seeing his spine which was “left as a treat for the dogs”. the author says “I could not connect this piece of […]