Halal slaughter

The Wednesday, March 9, edition of the New York Times included a lengthy article on the cover of the Metro section (Pg B1) headed, "A Halal Slaughterhouse Provides Nourishment for a Far-Flung Culture." It focused mostly on the tradition and culture surrounding the slaughterhouse, and the people involved in the business. But, without specifically mentioning animal suffering, it provided information which reminds us of the cruelty involved.

For example, we read:
"The pungent smell of blood and bleach hangs over the largest room - known as the kill floor, where the slaughtering begins at 7 a.m. One by one, the largest animals are led into an enclosed metal pen where a chain is looped around one leg and the animal winds up hanging upside down. According to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, the person doing the killing must be Muslim, and should kill the animal by slashing its throat with a sharp knife. It happens quickly, and a torrent of blood hits the concrete floor, often covering the walls, hands, aprons, hats and bright yellow raincoats of the workers.

"When a butcher is confronted with a 1,500-pound bull, the task can be intimidating...."

I wonder if most New York Times readers would think of the agony a fully conscious 1,500-pound animal would experience being hoisted up by one thin leg. One leg cannot support the weight of a bull against the pull of gravity. Anybody who has ever felt the searing pain of a dislocated shoulder or torn muscle and connective tissue might have a clue as to what the bulls feel before they are killed.

We read of a worker who "considers himself a Brazilian cowboy, and proved it when a bull ran loose amid the traffic on Raymond Boulevard in December. Mr. DaSilva chased the animal down, grabbing it by the tail as his brother lassoed it in." One cannot help but think of Queenie, the cow who escaped from a Halal slaughterhouse a few years ago, got media coverage, became a public darling, and now lives at Farm Sanctuary in upstate New York. The bull who ran for his life in December was not so lucky.

The article ends on interesting note: One of the slaughterhouse owners is worried that his thirteen year old son is becoming too Americanized. The final lines of the article are:
"In December, Mr. Hamed made a special trip with Hisham to the slaughterhouse. He wanted to show his son the business.
When they returned home, the boy declared himself a vegetarian for life."

You will find the whole article on line at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/09/nyregion/09butcher.html

You might like to write in support of the boy's choice. The New York Times takes letters at: letters [at] latimes.com letters [at] nytimes.com

Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Shorter letters are more likely to be published.

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. If you forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts, please do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.)