01/14/98 - 1503

Do Animals Have Feelings?

USA (VNN) - by Rasamanjari devi dasi

A true story culled from the ISCOWP news. Their email is iscowp@ovnet.com, or iscowp@com.bbt.se They do wonderful work protecting and advocating protection for the cows (or bison as the Chinese refer to them here). They exist on donations and provide newsletters and photographs and advice in reciprocation.

Do Animals Have Feelings?

from a Chinese newspaper:

"For one slaughterhouse in Hong Kong the day was quite ordinary till one bison who was about to be slaughtered fell to his knees and started to cry! "People think that animals don't cry, but the animal was crying like a baby" said Billy Fong to reporters in Hong Kong. "There were standing around ten men who earn their livelihood by slaughtering the animals. And from their eyes, tears started to flow. People were touched so much, that they bought the bison. Then they gave the bison to one Buddhist temple, that he can live the rest of his life in peace."

This tragedy-story about crying bison began when workers were bringing this big animal towards the slaughterhouse. When they were approaching the slaughterhouse, suddenly the animal fell down on the ground on his front legs. Then his tears started to flow. "When I saw the animal, how it is crying with sadness and fear in his eyes, I started to shake" told the butcher. "I called others to come and they also became astonished like me. We started to push and pull the animal but he didn't want to move at all. He was sitting on the ground and crying. The hair on my skin stood on end, because the animal reacted like a human being. We looked at each other and we knew that none of us would be able to kill him, and we should decide what to do with him." Finally, after much discussion, they decided to collect money and send the animal on a lifelong rest with Buddhist priests who don't have anything against bison. "We couldn't move the animal till we promised him that he will not die. Then he stood up and came with us. You can believe it or not, but this is the truth, although it sounds strange. It seemed that this big animal understood every word that we spoke".

For some workers in the slaughterhouse this incident was too much. Mr. Fong says "Three workers, immediately after this scene, gave denial. They said they will never kill animals anymore, because they will always remember this bison, and how his tears flowed down his face from his big sad eyes."

All glories to Sri Guru and Gouranga