Posted on 09/14/2009 12:14:20 PM PDT by ShadowAce
LONDON (Reuters) - A group of schoolchildren who reared a lamb from birth and named it Marcus has overridden objections by parents and rights activists and voted to send the animal to slaughter.
Marcus the six-month-old lamb has now been culled, the head teacher of the primary school in Kent confirmed on Monday, after the school's council -- a 14-member group of children aged 6 to 11 -- voted 13-1 to have him killed.
The decision has provoked fury among animal-loving celebrities, animal and human rights campaigners and the parents of some of the children, and led to threats against Lydd primary school and its teachers, according to a member of staff.
Around 250 children at the school take part in a program designed to teach them about rearing and breeding animals.
The educational farm was started this year, with Marcus being hand-fed by the children. The children also look after ducks, chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs.
The intention had been to buy pigs with the money raised from slaughtering Marcus, but those plans have been put on hold following the furor created by the lamb's culling. The school said the program may now have to be stopped.
"It's all up in the air," said a member of staff. "There's been so much pressure on us as a result of all this."
Despite that, the school said there had been overwhelming support among the children, the staff and most of the parents to have Marcus -- a castrated male who could not have been used for breeding -- sent to the slaughterhouse.
But opponents branded it heartless and cruel, with animal rights campaigners asking why Marcus could not have been used to teach the children about wool, and human rights campaigners worried about the emotional impact of Marcus's death on...
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
reagan_fanatic
Mary had a little lamb
the PETA bunch did cheer
till they saw her in the next day’s paper
served up with garnish and beer.
Mary had a little lamb
So sweet, gentle and docile
After dinner the other night
You'll never find the fossil!
This one I remember from when I was a child (More than 50 years ago):
Mary had a little lamb
She fed it Castor Oil
Every time it jumped the fence
It fertilized the soil
That conjured a mental picture I did not need to see.
Mary had a little lamb
So sweet, gentle and docile
After dinner the other night
You’ll never find the fossil!
Mary had a little lamb
Its fleece as white as snow
But since it looked so tasty
I shot it with my arrow and bow.
Mary had a little lamb
It’s eyes were brown and gentle
The salad cold, the soup hot
The beans were made from lentils.
Shari Lewis liked to order lamb in restaurants, just for the reaction.
There are several disturbing aspects to this topic, imho. Really horrifying stuff when you read between the lines. Primarily, 2 Freepers made sex jokes that fall flat because Marcus was castrated. No sex ed - no mountain oysters - geeze, comprehension people!
I eat sheep all the time. My tribe butchers them and roasts the mutton over an open fire. Yum!
Mary had a little sheep,
Lay down with it & went to sleep,
Woke up & saw it was a ram,
Mary had a little lamb.
(Hope I don’t get banned!)
He looks delicious.
Mary had a little lamb
It’s eyes were brown and gentle
The salad cold, the soup hot
The beans were made from lentils.
Mary had a little lamb
Whose eyes were silver blue
She cooked it up for a tasty stew
And served it up on silver too.
My grandfather had a small cattle ranch in NW Colorado. Mountain oystrers is not a `sex joke`. It is real. Every spring the ranch hands would geld the male cattle and fry what they took. It is part of the process of raising cattle.
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