Cruelty at Walmart

For me the issues are how the turtles are housed and cared for prior to slaughter for meat, how humane the slaughter process is and that, as I said before, species of turtles are used that are not near or on endangered species lists. Unfortunately some of parts of the orient have a rather poor record when it comes to the animal trade for food or mostly arcane medicinal purposes so that does need addressed from a global perspective. I know in my home country of Canada there is a very sad but highly profitable black market trade in black bear gallbladders. Incredibly shameful to kill any animal, wild or domestic, just for a gallbladder and then leave the carcass tossed away like some much garbage.

I was raised around hunters and taught from an early age...you don't aim unless you are certain what you are aiming at...you make sure you can drop it quick and clean or don't even take the shot...you don't waste an animal (trophies being a bonus, not a goal)...and you be darned thankful that nature gave you that animal for your family's table. Any deviation from those rules and my dad was quite happy to lock up the hunting guns or in one case make one of my older brothers eat a disgusting fish duck that stunk up my mom's oven - Jim learned his lesson about shooting without double checking the duck species in his sights.

That was an awesome post. I really have nothing much to add. Other than, I try to get most of the meat in my diet from humane sources; the deer that Mark hunts, shoots, and processes; also, our friends have a beefer herd and every fall get a bunch of cows slaughtered; I have been to the meat plant and know that it is done cleanly, humanely, and not on a huge factory-farm scale. Yet it is always a dilemma; sure, it is nice to supoprt the small family farmer, but look at what thse farms do to the undeveloped environment, with their chemical fertilizers/herbicides, overgrazing, and slash-and-burning to grow crops? However, I would still rather support the smaller family farmer, than these hideous factory farms that ruin whole landscapes with their ammonia-laden waste water and unneeded size equaling huge odor emissions.. A smart farmer always sets asids a portion of their land as natural forest, whether for personal gain through hunting/rec acreage, or a genuine love for the land.
I like that my friends' farm, where we get our beef from, is responsible. My friend went to school for Ag and was appaled at the modern practices such as liquid manure/human waste fertilization that makes a muck of our wells and such. I wish responsible farmers were not a dying breed; your average joe knows nothing about the hideousness they are supporting by buying a gallon of milk or a pound of beef; sigh.

China..... different culture, different way of life. America, different culture.... etc!

In China they love rats as much as our bp's do.Yummy

"For me the issues are how the turtles are housed and cared for prior to slaughter for meat, how humane the slaughter process is and that, as I said before, species of turtles are used that are not near or on endangered species lists. Unfortunately some of parts of the orient have a rather poor record when it comes to the animal trade for food or mostly arcane medicinal purposes so that does need addressed from a global perspective. I know in my home country of Canada there is a very sad but highly profitable black market trade in black bear gallbladders. Incredibly shameful to kill any animal, wild or domestic, just for a gallbladder and then leave the carcass tossed away like some much garbage."
Jo, I agree on so many levels. I think the major issue I have with the situation (by the way this does happen worldwide) Is how the animals are taken from the wild, the way they are horribly treated while in captivity and the absolutley barbaric procedure of slaughter.
I wanted to post the original post to point out how big the crisis is.
I don't think people understand the severity of the situation, with species becoming extinct very quickly, no guidlines are being taken to regulate any of it.
I have a great deal of respect for the good folks who are working to try and come to a working solution.
It's not a problem with me if people want to eat turtles. Just farm them properly, let them have a good quality of life while they are living, and when it comes time to slaughter them for food just do it humanely.
If you read through some of the links and see what some of these photos show. I don't think it should be a debate over wether folks should eat turtles or not. But finding a way that protects the turtles well being and peoples right to eat whatever they please. I think if some of you realised the mass amount of turtles that are going through the asian markets, over there and here in the states you would be amazed.
Oh and believe me the groups involved in this situation and whom have written the articles that are located through the links are nothing like PETA.
Thanks
Rusty

Excellent post Rusty and I agree with you completely! There's no reason in this day and age to treat any creature inhumanely and that always should include those that are bred and raised for the table.

I don't agree with on the spot slaughter whether it's Wal-Mart or some farmer's market doing chickens. It's unregulated, it's often inhumane and I can't imagine it's very sanitary. Wrong for people, wrong for the animals. If someone insists on a fresh killed dinner, at least have the guts to go hunt it yourself and do so responsibly!

Taking species from the wild indiscrimately is just plain stupid. Whether it's turtles in China, overfishing off the banks of Canada or shooting every duck that passes your duck blind it's just dumb. You take out too many, you decimate the core breeding stock. In the end you might take from the world a species that has as much right to exist as we do and you end up leaving yourself without that food source you so badly mismanaged in the first place.

Sadly we humans are awfully short sighted as a species.