[Arthur Wildfire! March]

You make a good point. Of all the six major continents, Europe, North America, and Australia [I would guess] are more inclined to have organizations like PETA. They are actually being racist against the very group that made their organization possible. Of course, it's a cultural matter, not a racial matter, an effort to exploit ignorance and prejudice. It's the CULTURE in North America that enables people to be concious of animals' suffering. Whether one is Asian, African, European, or Native American in origin isn't the point. A couple generations later, any one of them could have children who don't want animals to suffer.

I believe animals should receive anesthesia before being castrated. I'm no member of PETA-- I imagine I will eat meat the rest of my life, but give me a choice, I would prefer to do business with people who are kind to their animals, so long as the cost is not significantly higher. 10% more cost would be more than reasonable to me.

However, the enviro-wackos most likely would spout out half baked conspiracy theories about the dangers of the anesthesia. "Causes cancer, brain tumors, genetic deformities..." bla bla bla.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

I believe animals should receive anesthesia before being castrated. I'm no member of PETA-- I imagine I will eat meat the rest of my life, but give me a choice, I would prefer to do business with people who are kind to their animals, so long as the cost is not significantly higher. 10% more cost would be more than reasonable to me.

There's not a ranch in the country that gives anesthesia before "cutting" their calves in the spring. Several times when I was young I helped friends in west Texas castrate 40-100 young bulls over a weekend. Never seemed to be a great deal of pain involved.