Project Awesome By Jessica Walker

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” -Wayne Dyer Esther the Wonder Pig

Survey 1 2 3 4 5 1-Totally Unacceptable 2-Unacceptable 3-No Opinion 4-Acceptable 5-Totally Acceptable

Causing suffering and pain in animals Animals are sentient beings meaning they have feelings and experience pain. Is it okay for humans to cause pain and fear in animals for our needs. Example food, fur fashion, buying pets from puppy and kitten mills. 1) My opinion of  causing suffering and pain in animals for human needs. Causing suffering and pain in animals

Humans supporting community cats Community cats play a role in controlling mice and rat population. This decreases the risk of disease outbreaks such as the Black Plague.  Community cats include feral, stray, lost and abandoned cats. 2) My opinion of humans supporting community cats.

Spaying or neutering cats Thousands of cats are strays and end up in shelters, many of these cats are euthanized. This is because many people do not spay or neuter their cats. 3) My opinion of spaying or neutering cats

Destroying wildlife and their habitats Wildlife all around us even in the city are being forced to small unlivable spaces. Many people believe that wildlife can move to other places and their habitats can be torn down to make way for roads and new houses.  4) My opinion of destroying wildlife and their habitats.

Killing coyotes and other animals for fashion Coyotes and all animals caught in leg hold traps suffer extreme pain. Some chew off their legs to escape but die from blood loss and infection. Thousands of geese are also killed to stuff jackets. Is it okay to wear the fur from coyotes on the hoods of popular Canadian, goose stuffed parkas? 5) My opinion of killing coyotes and other animals for  fashion.

Producing chickens indoors for cheap meat The picture shows a crowded chicken shed. Chicken meat is cheap because of intensive farming. They barely have room to move, the air is contaminated and they never see the sunlight or go outside. 6) My opinion of producing chickens indoors.         

Producing free-range, and organic chicken Free-range chickens are kept outside. They live longer because they grow at a slower, natural rate. They are kept on a diet which does not contain chemicals but the price of this meat is higher. 7) My opinion of producing free-range chicken.

Selectively breeding chickens to grow faster If chickens grow faster, the farm can produce more chickens per year and keep costs down. Yet growing too fast can cause suffering to the chickens, their legs cannot support their body weight, many go lame and die a slow death. 8) My opinion of selectively breeding chickens to grow faster.

Producing battery eggs Battery eggs are the cheapest to produce. The hens are crowded into cages and prevented from doing any natural behaviours. They are kept this way until they can no longer produce eggs and are killed. 9) My opinion of producing battery eggs.

Debeaking hens Hens kept in crowded, stressful conditions are debeaked as chicks.  It is an extremely painful and stressful process.  It prevents hens from doing natural behaviors such as pecking. 10) My opinion of debeaking hens.

Producing free-range eggs from chickens kept in small groups Free-range hens can exercise and perform natural behaviors such as nest-building and dust- bathing. The eggs produced are more expensive to buy. 11) My opinion of producing eggs from chickens kept in small groups.

Live export of horses and other animals for slaughter Horses and other animals are exported live from Canada to other countries. Some farmers believe live exports mean they get more money for their meat. Long truck and plane  journeys cause stress and discomfort. Some animals do not survive the harsh journey. The total trip can last up to 80 hours with limited food and water. 12) My opinion of the live export horses and other animals for slaughter. Horses caged for transport to Japan

Selectively breeding cows to produce more milk Cows are being selectively bred to produce very large quantities of milk. This helps to keep milk less expensive. A cows udders may contain over 20 litres of milk at a time-double the amount their bodies were meant to make. Supporting this weight can make a cow go lame, and cause painful infections in their udders.  13) My opinion of selectively breeding cows to produce more milk.

Dairy Cows are Kept Pregnant so we can have Dairy products With the large demand for dairy products such as milk, cheese, and sour cream, female cows are kept pregnant all the time.  Their calves are taken away from them at birth to be bottle fed alone.  Male calves are sent away to be raised for meat while female calves are raised alone to continue the cycle. 14) My opinion of dairy cows being kept pregnant so we can have dairy products. Dairy Cows are Kept Pregnant so we can have Dairy products

Separation and transporting male calves for the production of veal Young dairy calves who have just been separated from their mothers are transported long distances to be kept in narrow crates for veal production. 15) My opinion of separating and transporting calves for veal.

Rearing pregnant pigs in sow stalls Sows are female pigs. At present, hundreds of thousands of Canadian sows are kept indoors, spending their entire pregnancies in sow stalls. The sows cannot turn around. They can only stand up or lie down.  They are caged for months without a break. This is intensive farming because the demand is high for products like bacon.  16) My opinion of rearing pregnant pigs in sow stalls.

Using farrowing crates After living for 3 months in the sow crates, the pregnant sow is moved to a farrowing crate to give birth. Again, the sow can only lie on her side or stand up.  There are bars between her and her babies preventing any natural mother interaction.  There is no bedding only a grated floor.  Piglets are removed at only 4 weeks of age, and raised in factory farms. The sow returns to the sow stall again continuing the cycle. This is how sows spend their entire life. 17) My opinion of using farrowing crates.

Organic pig production Both mother and piglets are kept free-range for most of their lives which is kinder to animals. The food the piglets eat is produced without chemicals for the sake of the environment and human health. It is more expensive. 18) My opinion of organic pig production.

Routine use of antibiotics in farming Crowded conditions on farms leads to a spread of disease among animals. Antibiotics help prevent illness and can increase growth rates. Dangerous bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics if they are over used, causing them to no longer work in people. An alternative might be to keep animals in less crowded conditions. 19) My opinion of the routine use of antibiotics in farming.

Using hormones in beef products Hormone injections are used to make cattle grow faster and leaner. This provides cheap beef of a quality which some  consumers want. There are worries about human health related to cancer and animal welfare.  20) My opinion of using hormones in beef products.

Eating meat from factory farms Meat is a useful source of protein, some vitamins and minerals. Intensively reared meat is cheaper to produce, but is bad for animal welfare and the environment. Most meat today is made this way with small family farms disappearing. 21) My opinion of eating meat from factory farms.

Crowding animals together Keeping animals crowded together can make meat production cheaper. Crowded animals take up less room and use less energy keeping warm. Crowded conditions can lead to the spread of diseases.  22) My opinion of crowding animals together.

Eating veggie burgers Veggie burgers contain more fibre and anti- oxidant vitamins than burgers made from meat and they are lower in saturated fats. This means they are healthier. Even if you weren’t going to be a vegetarian would you consider lowering your meat consumption to help the environment and reduce the need for factory farming. 23) My opinion of eating veggie burgers.

Waste and food consumption effects on climate change The world population in 2050 is estimated to be 9 billion. Currently, 50% of food produced is wasted.  In a persons lifetime, they may consume 1200 animals.  The energy and waste produced by this intensive agriculture has severe impacts on the environment and ultimately climate change.  24) My opinion of changing our diets today to reduce climate change in the future.