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Old 01-25-08, 12:42 pm
salana salana is offline
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Re: Is Free Range Poultry really the kinder option?

Quote:
Death (of plants or animals) is a necessity for all living things (again meaning both plants and animals).
While I respect, and agree with to some extent, your opinion, I do feel the need to split hairs. Some food items can be consumed without causing the death of any organism. Such as:

Seeded fruits and vegetables (you know, plants that have evolved to encourage you to eat the fruit and throw away the seed or poop it out a day later)
Honey (although if you take too much the bees could starve)
Unfertilized eggs

And of course, many organisms do not kill other organisms in order to survive. Many parasites and bacteria live off of another organism's blood, food supply, and/or waste. It is an unsuccessful parasite or virus that kills its host (at least not before it can spread throughout the world). When was the last time you heard of a cow dying directly from vampire bat bites? Many fungi, animals, and bacteria live off of waste and carrion--organisms that are already dead.

So, I would say that humans, even vegan humans, cause a lot more death of other organisms than the following species (and many more):
Vampire bats
Fruit bats
Helicobacter pylori (the ulcer bacterium)
Vultures
Mushrooms
Roundworms, pinworms, hookworms, etc.
Leeches
Bees
Dung beetles
and many more...

But I have to say that no organism causes as much suffering to other organisms as humans do.
 
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