PLEASE NOTE:
Portions of this now amended Action Alert were based on representations made to VINE by the Green Mountain College Farm Manager, who led us to believe that he was speaking for the college. We have since learned that was not true and that some of his statements did not reflect the official college position. We sincerely regret any hard feelings caused by that misunderstanding. We encourage the college community to revisit any decisions that it may have made based on inaccurate information
Specifically, we have since learned that the college asserts that (a) killing Bill and Lou would be best for them, and (b) killing Bill and Lou would be the “sustainable” thing to do, to keep them from wasting resources now that one of them is disabled. The college does intend to serve them as hamburger but does not see this as the primary motive for the slaughter.
Green Mountain College does still plan to kill Lou and Bill, and action is still needed.
Please see subsequent blog posts for details.
Green Mountain College is poised to kill two oxen named Bill and Lou who have served their college farm for ten long years. ACT NOW to prevent it!
Bill and Lou have been a working team of oxen at Green Mountain College in Poultney, VT for ten years. They were pressed into service by staff at Cerridwen Farm – the teaching farm on campus – to do everything from plowing fields to generating electricity. Over the years, they became so well loved that they’re even the profile picture for the farm’s Facebook page!
A few months ago, Lou became unable to be worked any longer. Bill won’t work with anyone else. Therefore, the college has concluded that both of them must be killed.
DEATH is their reward for 10 long years of hard work.
Yes, Green Mountain College has decided that Bill and Lou’s long lives of service should be rewarded by their slaughter – and for what? According to their own press releases, the school will get, at best, a couple of months of low-grade hamburger out of their bodies.
This is especially heartbreaking because they have an excellent home waiting for them.
VINE Sanctuary has offered to provide Bill and Lou with permanent homes. We have the ability and resources to care for them for the rest of their natural lives. Sadly, though, the college is determined to kill them instead.
Farm Manager Kenneth Mulder (with whip) working Bill and Lou
For ten years, they served the needs of those more powerful than they are.
Now it’s time to let them serve their own needs.
Please contact the folks at Green Mountain College and urge them to reconsider. It would be especially powerful for people from Vermont to contact them, and even more so for alumni to add their voices, so if you know someone from Vermont and/or Green Mountain College, please forward this notice to them as well. Feel free to use and/or modify the letter below, or write your own. Please send the letter to the following people:
Bill Throop Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs: throopw@greenmtn.edu
Kenneth Mulder Farm Manager, Research Associate & Adjunct Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies: mulderk@greenmtn.edu (We no longer believe that letters to Farm Manager Mulder would be helpful.)
Dear Sir:
I am writing to urge you to allow Bill and Lou to live out the remainder of their natural lives, in peace and contentment, at VINE Sanctuary, a reputable organization which has offered to care for them.
Should you choose to reverse their death sentences, the rewards garnered by Green Mountain College will far exceed whatever paltry sum their slaughter would bring to the school.
Conversely, whatever small amount of cash would be made by killing them will be far outweighed by the negative press which will follow in the wake of their deaths. (We now know that economics is not the primary motive for the slaughter.
Bill and Lou have served your college well for ten long years. Students and faculty alike have expressed how much they care about these individuals. They deserve to be given the rest of their lives to live as they choose. Just because they are not human does not mean they do not care about their existence.
We will be watching to see what decision you make.
Sincerely,
NAME
Thank you!
Stacey McEwan
We can all use a little hope these days.
this one is especially outlandish:
The school purchased them
Submitted by Anonymous on October 16, 2012 – 5:17pm.
The school purchased them with the intention of having them work and then slaughtering them. GMC is teaching sustainable farming. Sustainable farming does not include sending all your retired farm animals to a sanctuary to avoid bad press from strangers.
the college’s argument about sustainability is ill-founded and we’re talking about only 2 oxen not a herd of oxen – I thank you all for keeping the pressure on – you don’t kill friends and you don’t kill beings who you love – i’m glad they don’t love me …..
Green Mountain College’s Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-Mountain-College/137783307864?fref=ts
All are invited to this discussion,4pm in the East Room at Green Mountain College.
“All of you with an opinion should come to the Philosophy Club talk this
Friday at 4:00 p.m. in the East Room. Bill Troop and Steve Fesmire will
facilitate the discussion. We are hoping for opposing views so please come
by! This will be an environment where people can critically examine the
views of oneself and others. Lets be real, arguments on Facebook won’t
convince anyone of anything they don’t already believe.”
Those who favor killing Bill and Lou also argue there is a strong educational lesson. However, think of how much could be learned by factoring deep compassion and their close friendship with VMC and for one another into the fate of Bill and Lou for whom a special case can easily be made. Showing flexibility would be a most valuable lesson. The world isn’t linear or black-and-white. There are many ethical lessons here for those who teach humane and compassionate education.
Cruelty can’t stand the spotlight that is why Bill and Lou, supposed friends of the college, individuals with unique stories, have touched the hearts of people around the world. Killing them is an unacceptable “thank you” for who they are and for all they have done.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animal-emotions/201112/rewilding-our-hearts-maintaining-hope-and-faith-in-trying-times
This is what farms do.
We serve meat in our dining hall.
If we didn’t use our own farm animals, we would have to purchase meat from other sources, perhaps factory farms.
What Green Mountain College is doing is sustainable farm practice.
Sadly, if these two heroes are killed, at the least there story has sparked outrage in many and awareness in others. Every person touched is one person closer to a more sustainable future and a cruel-free environment for all living creatures. In our own way we can take one step at a time to make our immediate world a better place, even if they are just baby steps.
Dr. Barbara Beierl
YUM!
p. s. does anyone know what the tuition is at VMC –
The question is not whether or not we enjoy killing animals, the answer to that question is no. I was merely pointing out that we do indeed utilize farm animals in all aspects, which would include meat production.
Animals on a farm are not pets. They are used to create sustenance for people. We have a milk cow, we keep chickens for eggs & meat, we have pigs for meat (only), and we use oxen to till our soil.
Yes, we may name these animals. And YES we do love this animals. We treat them with as much respect as we can muster, but we still have to make consensus decisions as a farm.
The common misconception is that Bill and Lou are pets. They are not pets.
These are working farm animals, livestock, who cannot plow fields any longer.
Cerridwen Farm provides food for the school in both vegetable and meat form.
We believe that local food is the best option and we are striving to live by our beliefs and teach students how to make responsible decisions that benefit themselves and the community.
Vermont is historically a farming community. People it meat. We love Bill and Lou, but we also want to operate as a farm. My question is why is VINE and PETA focusing on a sustainable non-abusive agriculture educational facility, when instead the focus should remain on factory farms and farmers who literally ABUSE their livestock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-4GFObFaEs
These are the animals you should be saving.
I am a 27 year old student. Tuition is about $40K a year, I receive loans, grants, and scholarships. My parents are not reach and I was never “privileged.”
I was a vegetarian for 8 years, and after moving to Vermont and attending GMC, I strive to eat only local meat that is labeled either organic or cruelty free.
Please do not generalize students based on how much we pay in tuition. Ag. students are interested in how farms work and this is part of the program.
Not everyone can be a vegetarian.
Reach= Rich
excuse my typos please.
I have 5 minutes before my next class.
Thanks for reading my comment if you did.
And please consider focusing on saving the really abused animals.
Next, I would like to address Kandice Hellers comment “This is VERMONT. ACT LIKE IT. We love animals here. WE are a no-kill state. You make me sick.” Vermont’s largest agricultural industry is dairy farming. Where do you think all of those calves go? They don’t end up living their lives out on fields of rainbows and cupcakes. Sorry to burst your happy little bubble. Those thousands of calves either go to farms like Cerridwen farm where they are treated with respect and love as working members of a community (oxen) or they end up chained to small calf huts and force fed milk until they are legally old enough to go to a slaughter house to be sold as veal. Well honey, I am sickened by the fact that you are so misinformed, so naive, and so hell bent on ruining the reputation of a school that of course does have its flaws, like any institution, but one that has given these animals a much longer life than they would have gotten otherwise. A life filled with love and respect because if it wasn’t then they would have become dangerous to work with. If you do not love and respect an ox then they will not respect you and I know I don’t want to be at the other end of a disrespectful ox. We love these two boys and we feel that the best way to honor their lives is to put them on our plates. We will all thank them for their time with us and thank them for giving us their life, their hard earned flesh to allow us to sustain ourselves in the only way we know how. So please allow us to honor our beloved friends in peace. No one is telling you to eat the meat, no one is telling you to kill animals. Be a vegetarian, vegan, omnivor, carnivor, it doesn’t matter to us so why do our choices matter to you. How would you feel if thousands of people attacked your morals and your beliefs in this way?
I appreciate your point of view and your well-thought out responses. It is better for us to discuss and debate then it is for us to point fingers of shame at each other, as that is not conducive to educating both sides of a debate and growing from our personal beliefs. Demonizing a group for decisions made without proper investigation is also disrespectful of that culture and of freedom of choice.
That being said, I would like to copy and paste a point of view that is eloquent to the view point of farmers who love their animals, written by Angela Hirst:
There are lots of reasons to be a part time carnivore, but in my mind, there’s one reason that’s more important than all the others: suffering. Down in the dirt, vomit inducing, tear your hair out suffering.
Millions upon millions of animals experience this level of suffering so that we can eat meat without thinking about our actions.
If you don’t want to be responsible for this level of suffering, the choice doesn’t have to be no more meat. If factory farming were the only type of farming, then abstinence would be your only choice. But there are other types of farming. Some farmers love their animals. In fact, they love them so much they’re willing to live with the complexity of loving creatures whose deaths they will eventually be responsible for.
It’s much easier not to farm animals with this level of respect and love, to pack them by the tens of thousands into sheds designed to look after their basic needs of food and shelter in as mechanized a way as possible. These farmers don’t have to see, feel or smell the suffering happening everyday.
But small scale farmers that love their animals will look after their lives like they would a beloved dog’s. These animals enjoy their lives, they’re free to live them in a way that closely aligns with their ‘wild’ behaviors, except that they don’t have to fear being attacked by predators, or not being able to find enough food. And then, these same farmers will walk their animals to their (planned) deaths.
It might sound contradictory, to love your animals and kill them, but that’s what it takes, and that’s also the sort of closeness you’re going to have with your meat, if you want to be a part time carnivore who cares about the suffering of animals. You can eat meat once a week, or only eat it at home, or only eat it out, but if you’re not asking ‘Where did this meat come from? Did it come from a small farm? Was it farmed free range? Is it organic?’ then you’re still contributing to the suffering of animals.
Although being an ethical meat eater doesn’t come with a simple set of rules, the choice doesn’t have to be isolating. In future posts here and on The Good Soup, I’ll introduce you to the rich and at times complex life of an animal loving meat eater. I’ll take you through some of the specific issues involved in the farming of different animals, so you can make more detailed decisions about what you will and won’t eat. And I’ll show you how you can buy and prepare cruelty free meat without it costing you a fortune.
Until then, if you’d like to learn more about what animals are put through in our factory farming obsessed world, there are some really good books written on the subject. Try out Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma. It’s extremely well researched and open ended. It tells you the facts, explains the ambiguities and complexities of our current food production methods, and leaves it up to you to decide where you draw the line between what you will and won’t eat.
But if you’re a true die hard carnivore and need a bit more than intelligent words to convince you to think before you eat meat indiscriminately then take a look at Earthlings. But be prepared, it may just turn you off meat for good.
http://parttimecarnivore.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/loving-animals-and-loving-meat-an-approach-to-ethical-eating/
GMC’s statements and beliefs are transparent and are no different from Sterling College, which also raises animals for meat.
http://www.sterlingcollege.edu/kitchen.html
The problem at this point is that everyone is making such a hoopla out of the Ag. Department and students consensus decision. Honestly, I think VINE and PETA, and all y’all are making such a big deal about it, that it has become upsetting for the school and the farm to try and be told what is best for OUR farm.
It is not YOUR farm. It is OUR farm. We are a private school, not public.
If VINE were to take a poll of the student body who respect the farms decision and those who don’t, you would be surprised to find that the students think that our decision is sustainable and acceptable.
Pointing fingers and demonizing a group of people will never work. It will only make you upset and will not make the intended party change their minds. It will only make them angry.
Sorry, But you are all wasting your time on GMC. We will continue to do what we believe in, which is sustainable farming (which includes sustainable meat production).
I encourage you to find other places to air your views. This is not one of them. Should you choose to write back on a matter unrelated to Bill and Lou, or advocating for their murder, we will be forced to delete your posts.
The Animal File: Mascot oxen to be killed for burger meat
Editor’s Note: We have received information of an urgent nature on the case of two animals slated for death unless public opinion is mobilized to force the current authorities to do the right thing. We ask simply this: Why is it so damn difficult to do the compassionate thing in a world awash in cruelty and systematic violence? One would think that people engaged in teaching, of all things, would welcome an opportunity like this to amend—at least in part—the savage record accumulated by the human race in its dealings with other animals and members of its own species. The information stream about this case is furnished by Marc Bekoff, a noted ecologist and Valerie Traina, a leading animal defense activist. The main point is that the decision to kill Bill and Lou is entirely unnecessary and heartbreaking because they have an excellent home waiting for them. VINE Sanctuary has offered to provide Bill and Lou with permanent homes. They have the ability and resources to care for them for the rest of their natural lives. Sadly, though, the college is determined to kill them instead. We earnestly hope that the officials at Green Mount College will choose to spare these animals their lives, even if such an act would violate their stated principles. No law or regulation must ever be implemented rigidly, and the whole process of trial and sentencing is based on the idea that laws are to be adjusted according to specific circumstances—especially when the “defendants” stand to lose their lives.—PG
The segment will run on NPR’s Sunday Morning this weekend.
The reporter came out to the sanctuary and visited with us and the animals before heading over to Green Mountain College for their comments.
I would like to point out to those who feel silenced, that in effect, they already have the ear of the entire world. Almost all humans on the face of the earth believe it is acceptable to use, exploit, murder, and consume other animals, even though such activities are 100% unnecessary in terms of our survival. So, you are far from silenced, I assure you.
Our stance is ridiculed, attacked (sometimes physically), and otherwise marginalized by everyone all over the place. Why must we give you this space too?
Think about it. Should the NAACP post comments from white supremacists? Should the marriage equality folks print comments from heterosexist people on their blogs? I should think not and, furthermore, I would venture to guess that you would agree that they should not.
Well, we are the same, in that we are fighting battles with a world that is so deeply human supremacist (as it is racist and heterosexist, if not more).
This blog is not some neutral ground which was created to discuss the issue of whether or not it is ever acceptable to murder and consume other animals. This is the blog of VINE, an animal rights organization committed to ending the purely optional practices that humans cling to, of using, exploiting, murdering, and consuming animals and their products.
This is a space which we have carved out for animal rights folks — and those sincerely interested in animal rights issues — to have dialogues concerning same.
It is not, and never has been, a place for those who oppose animal rights to engage in dialogue with us.
There are such places, but this is not one of them. So if you are truly and sincerely interested in engaging in dialogue with AR folks, please do find a venue which will accommodate that. They are out there, and they are valuable places, I might add, so I encourage you to seek them out. But this is not one of those places.
It’s good to get feedback from a wide variety of people – i’ve been teaching a course on animal behavior, cognitive ethology (the study of animal minds), animal emotions, animal protection, and conservation biology for more than 12 years at the Boulder County Jail and today we discussed bill and lou
This is just another example that this is a throw-away culture. It is disturbing and not right. A life is a life.
http://www.vpr.net/audio/news/regional_news/2012/10/Spot-1019apn.mp3
I feel it is very important to email and call Leahy and Welch to let them know that the handouts must stop.
Has VINE looked into getting a court order to postpone the slaughter so we can get some donations together and speak with an attorney? I’m willing to help.