55° P/SUNNY,
Animal advocates protest outside slaughterhouse
Last Modified: Monday, October 5, 2009 at 11:21 a.m.
A group of animal-rights advocates conducted a vigil outside a local slaughterhouse Friday to call attention to what they say is the inhumane treatment of animals.
The group began gathering at 5 p.m. in front of Rancho Veal at 1522 Petaluma Boulevard North. It swelled to about 45 people by 5:45 p.m.
“We were there to mourn and memorialize the animals and remind people that this is animal cruelty,” said Lisa Soldavini of Petaluma, a member of Northbay Animal Advocates who helped organize the vigil along with Kate Danaher.
“People who eat meat are disconnected from the suffering that takes place at slaughterhouses. We wanted to make the connection for them and call attention to the slaughterhouses where the actual killing takes place.”
The event coincided with World Farmed Animals Day, an annual event observed by animal-rights groups that coincides with the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.
Soldavini said organizers met with Petaluma Police Lt. Tim Lyons a week earlier to apprise police of the vigil. “We checked out where we could be on the property,” she said.
The group also conducted protests at the KFC restaurant on east Washington Street and of Carson & Barnes Circus at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds earlier this year.
On Friday, members of the group came with prayer sticks, booklets of prayers for animals and a recording of a song, “Silent Ones,” by singer-songwriter Jazelle, which they played on a CD player.
Participants came from as far away as Mendocino and Santa Cruz counties, Soldavini added.
“A lot of people driving by gave us honks and thumbs up,” she said, “although there was some negative (responses).”
Babe Amaral, owner of Rancho Veal, acknowledged that the gathering was peaceful, but he said he was a little puzzled by the protest.
“I couldn’t figure why they were coming after us,” he said. “We sold the veal business in 2005.”
Amaral said his company still processes older cows and bulls, but any veal calves that are brought to the plant are taken to the Central Valley.
Rancho Veal and Rancho Feeding, which share slaughter operations on three acres of land, are scheduled to shut down at some point and be sold to a developer to build homes.
The slaughterhouse is the last one in the Bay Area that processes beef animals.
(Contact Chris Samson at chris.samson@arguscourier.com)
Next Article in Community-News
-
Target shopping center, silk mill hotel on agenda
Planning Commission meets Tuesday to consider recommending projects to City Council....
search
Local Business Directory
post your stuff
Petaluma360.com is here for you to post your comments, photos, news and events with the community. Post it now!
Your Voice
Have something to say? Join the conversation!
Your Photos
Trying out photography? Show off your stuff here.
Your News Items
Want to report the news? Have an item to share with everyone? Send us your news so we can share it with the community.
Your Events
Submit your area events to encourage others in your community to attend.
For Your Mobile
Take us with you anywhere, anytime at http://m.petaluma360.comYou'll find a number of new technology features available from this site. With personalized news sent straight to your mobile device. SIGN UP
Email Newsletter
Sign up
for our e-mail services and receive your local news, sports, weather and more.
View Sample
Comments
Only moderator-approved comments are shown on this page. To see all comments, please visit the forum.Post a comment | View all comments on this topic.
October 5, 2009 2:44:49 pm
RE: Link
It is very interesting to me that the slaughterhouse owner did not understand that we mourn for all animals needlessly killed - not only the babies. For money, convenience and from deep conditioning we kill these gentle animals by the billions. If people allowed themselves to connect with the suffering, they would not tolerate the cruelty of breeding, confinement, mutilation, transportation and the killing of these innocent animals - no matter what their age.
October 5, 2009 3:49:45 pm
WTF I eat meat! go be a vegan some place else...
October 5, 2009 4:17:39 pm
Yes - I mourn too. And the key word here is "needlessly" killed. We do not have a "necessity" to slaughter these innocent beings. We do so only for the sake of "taste", pleasure and "enjoyment" of their flesh. So what exactly is the difference between killing an animal for amusement - And killing her for food? We can all thrive on a plant based diet and end this moral dissonance. Stop breeding animals just to slaughter them. It makes absolutely no sense - Is not healthy - or compassionate.
Link
October 5, 2009 7:40:25 pm
This was an awesome gathering! I hope more and more people gather and raise awareness and perhaps some anger (I hope!) over this holocaust! The time is OVER to stand by silently and allow this slaughter to continue. The time for ANIMAL RIGHTS IS HERE!!
October 5, 2009 9:53:48 pm
OMG are you people for real!!! Get a freakin life!!! Why don't all of you join an organization that does some good, like P.E.T.A.. People Eating Tasty Animals
October 5, 2009 10:58:59 pm
Have you no decency? How dare you call this a holocaust! If you had a fraction of a brain you would know that millions of Jews NOT CATTLE were slaughtered in cold blood out of pure hate!!!
This is no where near a "holocaust", dont eat meat if you dont like it...end of story. Obama eats meat, Ghandi eats meat, Buddah ate meat, do you call them murderers????Go climb a tree, ignoramus.
October 6, 2009 11:21:24 am
Hey everyone, come gather with me on the backroads of america. Slautering is occurring every morning and evening esp. when it is dark out. Those evil motorists are killing those innocent animals that are trying to cross the road.. we can stop this now and make those evil motorist use their legs to get to where they need to go so that the innocent animals can survive.. i have plenty of bibles for everyone.. bring your blankies it will be cold. So many birds killed by those damn planes also, we can march next month to the airports.
October 6, 2009 11:30:19 am
I think it's great that these people care so much for animals. I do think their energy could be better used elsewhere. The fact is that we (humans) are carnivores. Sure, we don't have to be, but we are, and we're going to eat animals.
Where I think there is a problem is with our animal shelters, backyard breeding and the treatment of pets as property/objects. If you want to hold a useful vigil, do it outside the animal shelter. Hundreds of lost souls are confined there after abuse and abandonment.
Thank goodness for the animal shelter and their no kill policy.
October 6, 2009 4:36:55 pm
I want to thank all these people for reminding me how hungry I am right now. I'm gonna go get a steak. YUM!
Post a comment | View all comments