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Kids Vote to Kill Lamb They Raised
A program meant to teach kids about raising animals should be an animal activist’s dream. Until the fourteen kids who raised a lamb named Marcus voted to have the wooly little critter sent to the slaughterhouse.
Lamb chop anyone?
I’ve been going through the range of emotions since reading the story – initially creeped out, not that the lamb was killed, but that fourteen kids (ages six to eleven) sat around and VOTED on the animals death. I’m willing to readily admit a bias here – I’m a vegetarian.
Next step (like the stages of grief) was pretty much acceptance. I grew up in a farm community; I went to high school with people who first fed, cleaned and pet Bessie then later ate her calves.
The circle of life isn’t a cliche. It’s reality. And it’s one kids will learn about sooner or later. Involved in a program on raising animals, that’s likely to be sooner.
So why was my next stage disgust? I’ve accepted the animal has to be killed, but I can’t accept that the parents aren’t ready to buck up and let it happen. Along with animal activists, several of the parents have stepped in to try to prevent Marcus’ slaughter and put a stop to the entire program.
They’re doing a disservice to their kids, who managed a vote that was thirteen to one in favor of the lamb’s trip to the slaughterhouse. They planned to use the money earned to buy piglets for their next foray into animal husbandry.
So let the kids finish what they started. They’re learning sustainability, even the value of life (and animals), not to mention a dose of reality.
Would you let your kids in on the vote?
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5 Comments
lisa commented on Sep 15 09 at 6:48 pmI know the Hefer Project does a similar scenario with kids that come through for their camps. The votes are very thought out and not “ooh yeah let’s kill the sheep” but take into consideration various social and economic issues at play. These are meant to expose kids to these ideas (such as not everyone has as much as we do).
Yeah the circle of life.
Lee commented on Sep 15 09 at 7:35 pmI would venture a guess that the majority of these school children are not vegetarians and I agree that they should finish what they’ve started. Too many people (including adults) have no real concept that the ground beef in the cellophane package at the supermarket was once a cute little calf with big watery brown eyes. I eat meat but believe we should all be more informed about the reality of where our food comes from. Why do the parents feel they are “protecting” the children by avoiding these facts?
April commented on Sep 16 09 at 7:16 amI am a vegetarian. It was at that age of those kids that I decided to become one on my own. I guess I would be the one vote against it. I could not let something I befriended and cared for be killed. Not in my nature. But if my kids voted to kill it, since it is their sheep, I would let it ride. Their choice. I also agree that kids need to learn where meat comes from really. Not the grocery store. It comes from slaughtering animals. I take this a step further and say the kids need to witness the sheep being killed. Then if they still want to eat meat, go for it. I am not a crazy animal rights person either. I cook meat for my toddlers and husband. I wear leather. I just think that if people are going to eat meat, then they should at least once have to slaughter or watch an animal be slaughtered and really understand what they are eating. So many people I know said they can’t think about it being animals, but then I say to you “Then why are you eating it because it IS animals?”
Marj commented on Sep 17 09 at 2:13 pmThese are apparently not 4H kids or farm families. Farm families have no problems with naming an animal, petting it, taking care of it, then later eating it.
Jesse commented on Aug 10 11 at 9:46 pmMaybe they should of showed the kids how the slaughterhouse killed Marcus.
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