Sitting in my car in my garage this morning, quick check of email on my phone for the first time today.
Scroll down the list of emails from non-profits and advocacy groups. La la la.
See headline: "Mother Bear Kills Cub and Self to Escape Life of Bile 'Milking.'"
Go from 1 to 10 on the rage meter. Eyes tear. Look around for something to rend or throw.
Tell self to calm down.
Start to drive to work.
Unable to get thoughts of animal torture and despair out of head. Wiping surreptitiously under eyes, knowing other drivers aren't looking anyway.
Tell self to calm down again. Remind self that suicide is a touchy subject due to a friend that killed herself.
Ponder the intelligence and emotion in a bear that would rather kill her cub and then herself than continue to live in agony.
Decide for umpteenth time that animals are smarter and more emotional than most humans will ever know. Try to push images of vast animal abuse all over the globe out of head.
Gaze at pedestrians on Hollywood Boulevard. Wonder if they're nice people or evil sons of bitches.
Picture pitched battle with persona of "Despair," using cool ninja martial arts moves.
Imagine donning Iron Man suit, flying over to China, and gunning down any and all humans involved in this vile practice of 'milking' bear bile.
Get to work.
Turn on computer. Get tea. Go immediately to article to find organization who is fighting this practice.
Find Animals Asia online.
Immediately sign petition to end bear bile farming in China.
Post petition to Twitter, trying not to knock every item off my desk in impotent rage. Reflect on how doing that could raise questions about my sanity and then I'd just have to pick everything up off the floor anyway. Also, losing job and/or getting locked up for crazy behavior would strongly curtail my ability to donate money or advocate for these bears or other animals in any way.
Donate money to Animals Asia.
Ponder moving to China to volunteer/work for Animals Asia and help the bears they save.
Realize this is unrealistic. Calming down. Remind myself of all the good that people do as well as all the horror.
Write blog post to channel remaining fury.
6 comments:
Thank you! I've been trying to find an animal rights group in Asia for a while--I'd read about some of the amazing work that people are doing in China to rescue animals. I also appreciate your efficiency and practicality in the midst of rage. In this situation the old leftist saying "Throw them [the torturers] to the mothers of their victims" has a certain resonance. Better to close down the "milking" operations and find the people a job that isn't satanic, though.
Thank YOU, Suzanne, for letting me know this was helpful. That really helped make my day after feeling so impotent.
The first time I ever felt so angry about animal abuse was in my grade ten science class room a few years back. At the back of the room there are jars filled with dead animals like snakes and bugs. In one of them was a puppy. I was so furious (it's hardly necessary for a high school to have that since they're not in any of the grades curriculum) and nobody felt the same way at all. I ended up writing a short story about petitioning for animal rights and that night adopted an animal in Africa.
I know that is really nothing in comparison to what happens in other countries, but it was my first experience of such anger and I completely understand where your anger comes from. Thank you for sharing the links, Nina!
Oh my goodness, Ellen, I would've been furious too! I had a very tough time in high school dissecting the frog in biology (also not necessary, especially NOW, with computers) but if it had been a puppy? Wow. I loved my dog so much in high school,I just can't imagine how I would've felt. Heck, I'm pissed about it now. But then I'm pissy today. :)
Thanks so much for your interest. Really. It means a lot.
I did a project for my World Issues class, and I did it on chinese traditional medicine, and I came upon black bear bile...and I actually cried looking at horrible horrible pictures. This practice is absolutely disgusting...there is nothing remotely right about it, especially since scientists haven't confirmed if it helps or not, yet they still do this. :( We need more animal rights organizations to help spread word about this. Thanks for sharing this post!
Thanks for reading, Maida. And thanks for caring. Hearing that people like you care about things like this gives me hope!
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