In the mid-1970’s I had the privilege of hearing Cleveland Amory speak at CSU in Fort Collins, Colorado. I was able at that time, to purchase and have autographed, his book, Man Kind? – Our Incredible War on Wildlife. I found the book to be so deeply troubling that I was never able to complete reading it. The pages are now yellowed, but I have vowed to read it – all the way through this time. Its profound truth is every bit as mortifying as the revelations made by Rachel Carson in Silent Spring. Mr. Amory also began the Fund for Wildlife in 1967, where he served without pay, until his death in 1998.
As with Ms. Carson’s book, the public has been slow to catch on and few people know of Cleveland Amory and the great work he began for the welfare of animals. The horrendous practices that have gone on for the past century are still being carried out. A few small steps have been taken. We have had “cruelty free” cosmetics since the mid-1990’s, but they represent only a small fraction of the personal care products on the market. It is only educated people with a modicum of conscience, who will refuse to buy anything that is not cruelty-free. For the most part, scientific exploitation of mice and other species continues, behind closed doors; as does factory farming and the ignorant cruelty to domestic pets.
Scientists in China have recently crossed a monkey with a pig by injecting the stem cells of the monkey into the fertilized embryo of a pig. The embryo was then inserted into the womb of a pig sow and the resulting offspring are being called chimeras. Why, I wondered, would anyone be so compelled to toy with life, in the preposterous belief that he can create something better than Nature herself? In spite of my nausea at reading this, I read on. They want to use animals to grow human organs for the purpose of transplants! They admit to the fact that they will come up against a wall of moral and ethical issues. No kidding!
I have spent a lifetime caring for animals and birds. I am passionate about protecting other species from the numerous wrongs that my human brothers and sisters have inflicted on them. I intend to spend the remainder of my life fighting for their rights in any and every way that I can. Won’t you join me?
