Animal-loving Omnivore

            I love animals.  I really do.  I grew up watching Animal Planet, reading dog breed encyclopedias, and perpetually wanting another pet.  My dog, Copper, was one of my best friends during my childhood and the purple finches at our bird feeders provided endless entertainment.  Even now I find myself embracing that same passion for animals.  I support wildlife management and Endangered Species Act, I am entirely in favor of organic agriculture, and ASPCA commercials break my heart. 

            I love bacon, barbecued chicken, and steak too.  I love the smell of a roast baking in the oven and the sound of sausage sizzling in a frying pan.  Summer just is not complete without hamburgers and hotdogs from the grill and beef jerky is, by far, the best snack food during ROTC labs.  I am, by no means, a vegetarian.  I happily smash mosquitoes and I detest roosters (loud and mean).  I would save my roommate over my dog and I would give water to a dying person before a dying horse.    

            I have a bit of a problem.

            Where do I stand with animals?  I clearly do not put animals on the same level as humans, but I also do not see them as purely a resource for human use and consumption.  Although I would love to identify as a holistic vegetarian, I cannot.  I guess I would like to consider myself as an animal-loving omnivore.  I do not want to see animals needlessly suffer, but I also want to eat meat.  Sentient animals, such as cows, should not be forced to live in conventional feedlots.  Healthy, wild animals should not be captured and locked away in zoos.  Grass-fed or organic beef is the way to go and animals should only be placed in zoos if they are incapable of surviving in the wild. 

            As an animal-loving omnivore, I believe that the dolphin slaughter in Taiji needs to stop – for the sake of the dolphins and the people of Japan.  These clearly sentient animals should not be brutally slaughtered in the thousands only to supply unaware consumers with unsafe food.  Both lose.  Even if the meat was safe or if the dolphins were not sentient, I would not support the dolphin massacre.  There is nothing right about what is happening in The Cove.