SACRIFICIAL

[Maureen K Clifford]

another 11,000 Australian sheep brutally slaughtered in Pakistan

NICOLAS PERPITCH From: The Australian October 22, 2012 12:00AM

FARMERS and exporters are bewildered and dismayed at the culling in Pakistan of more than 11,000 Australian sheep that had been independently declared fit for human consumption.

According to unconfirmed reports in Pakistan's The News International, the sheep were killed with a "blunt knife" by "untrained butchers" before being dumped into pits by a bulldozer.

Importer PK Livestock had been given an assurance by the Pakistani authorities that the cull would be carried out humanely.

SACRIFICIAL
Maureen Clifford © 10/ 2012



We’ve lost eleven thousand more or less – all is not clear
as to numbers, but they’ve left this life in terror, pain and fear.
Enough they had to journey many miles across the sea
to face their execution. Tell me please why this should be?
They were young and fit and healthy now they’re dead and cold and gone
and the manner of their passing – well it surely was just wrong.
Inhumane, cruel, unexpected and there’s others gone before.
This must stop. There are much better ways. Don’t let them leave our shore.

The newspapers reported Aussie graziers were in shock
at this unwarranted slaughter of such good Australian stock,
but we’re dealing with a country where each human life is cheap
so it doesn’t hold much hope out for our poor Australian sheep.
And they did not waste a bullet when they took an ovine life,
they clubbed, stabbed and then hacked their throats with blunt and unsharp knife
and then bulldozed them in a pit – though some there still drew breath.
Doesn’t matter – they are only sheep – each one was bred for death.

Doesn’t matter!!! Is that what we think is that what we believe?
I’m sure I’m not the only silly sheila who will grieve.
It’s time to stand Australia and let your voice be heard.
Stand up and ban live export. Don’t believe the foreign word
for they’ve proven yet again that they don’t understand humane
and once these animals leave our shore we are out of the game.
Provide jobs for the Aussies – keep this industry on shore.
Please help and tell our Pollies. No more, no more, no more.

If you think as I do that this cruel slaughter needs to stop and if you want to really help please sign the petition to stop live export and other related animal cruelties that is on this link

http://www.animalsaustralia.org/take_ac ... MP-action/

Thank you for sparing a few minutes from your busy day to help the animals of Australia – they have no voice but ours.

Cheers

Maureen

[Maureen K Clifford]

not to me it doesn't I receive regular correspondence from Lyn White from Animals Australia and the RSPCA and I am far more inclined to believe their reports. The word unconfirmed in any commercial media is purely a way of newspapers avoiding litigation

[Stephen Whiteside]

I'm with you, Maureen. Sadly, animal cruelty has been with us forever. At least it is being reported now.

[r.magnay]

I'm a bit inclined to agree with you Marty, I am continually amazed at how much cruelty goes on right here on our doorstep but no-one seems to care, or want to know....I guess there is no point in making a noise about something that doesn't affect a major industry....oh yes that's right, the cruelty here is "Culture" so that's alright...but cruelty over there, even though it is also culture is not alright....perhaps I am just confused! Might be a good idea to clean up our own backyard first I reckon........by the way, the cruelty here can be confirmed..

[Maureen K Clifford]

If you have the stomach for it perhaps you two blokes might like to check out some of the clips from, Animals Australia that are here

It is pretty horrendous stuff http://www.animalsaustralia.org/

and the other side of Babe the one you wouldn't take your Grandkids to see

http://www.makeitpossible.com/#film

Are you going to have me believe the camera lies? Do you really think these people would be filming this much heartache if they didn't think there was a bloody good reason for doing so? They've got more guts than I have - these break my heart. But perhaps I am not totally cynical yet.

I fully realize we can't stop or help every animal from suffering but everyone we can save or at least see dispatched in a humane manner is a win regardless of where it be and we all have a moral duty to try, the same as we would with any one suffering be it kids, people being bullied, other races being persecuted or taunted. To stand by and do nothing is the sin - not the trying to help as best one can.

So we will have to agree to disagree I guess on this issue. And cruelty is NEVER allright

[r.magnay]

'morning Maureen,
I have never denied that animal cruelty exists, I am however still amazed how the issues of cruelty here, that I see every week by the way, are just continually ignored because it is too hard! The 'animal liberation movement' are quick to sign petitions and march in rallies or canvas pollies to get their way about animal cruelty....in another country, when no-one wants to even admit we have a problem here! while it is not alright to slaughter animals in an inhumane way over seas, nor is alright to break a goannas legs and throw him in the boot of the car so he stays alive longer and so will be fresh, nor is alright to catch a turtle and throw him on his back on the beach so he is kept alive a bit longer and then just walk away and leave him to die, nor is alright to allow dogs to breed continously and then let them starve to the stage that they will eat anything to try and survive, including each other or soiled disposable nappies, and then there are dugongs and echidnas etc., all made to suffer a horrible slow and painful death!.......with respect Maureen, even your previous post simply ignores the fact that we have just as much cruelty here as anywhere else, banning live exports WILL NOT stop cuelty going on, all it will do is change whose animals are cruelly treated. If you want to fix the problem start with education, prohibition has never worked with anything!

[Neville Briggs]

I won't enter into the debate about the issues.

I think Maureen, with respect your statement might have been better as just that, a statement or a letter to the powers that be. I think that in your piece the issue overtakes the form and it doesn't work as a poem.
Les Murray wrote a very powerful poem about animal slaughter. His approach was to write from the point of view of the cow watching itself being killed and butchered. Rather a harrowing monologue and packs a poetic punch on the theme.

[Dennis N O'Brien]

Personally I support live export but cruelty needs to be minimized.
(apart from in a perfect world you will never eliminate it)

I agree with Ross about the hypocrisy and the need to stop certain
cruelty closer to home.

As far as writing a poem about something you have strong feelings
about (or even something you couldn't care less about for that matter) -

go for it Maureen and don't let anyone with fixed ideas turn you from your path.

[Neville Briggs]

Where did the idea come from, that anybody was trying to turn Maureen from her "path", whatever that means ??
I was also wondering what " fixed ideas " means. I'm puzzled.

[Maureen K Clifford]

Seems we're either for it or ag'in it - as someone who once helped raise sheep for the meat market I wouldn't do it now. They may be just animals but they are being transported just as the Jewish people were in WWII to unspeakable horror and holocaust.

Queensland Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders using cruel hunting methods will no longer be immune from prosecution as the state government passed amendments to the Animal Care and Protection Act in September, bringing Queensland into line with other Australian states. This will probably prove to be a toothless tiger as unless you see the cruelty happening how would you know.

As Ross rightly points out there is a lot of cruelty that goes unremarked here in Australia to all species and as mentioned we cannot help them all but that shouldn't stop us from trying to help as many as we can. Big oaks from little acorns grow