Animal Voice May 2008 Page 2 81.96 Kb 

Dr Roy Aronson has fought many a battle to save the life of an animal. "It's always uplifting to fight a battle that you believe you can win and when it comes to the lives of farm animals, this is a battle we can win!" he says.

Speaking from his veterinary practice in Tamboerskloof, Cape Town, Dr Aronson told Animal Voice he did not believe that turning the world vegetarian was a battle that could currently be won. "I'm not talking about whether our teeth are designed to eat meat or not. The fact is: we eat meat.

“Let's start right there. And on that premise, let us state categorically that if animals are eaten for food then they must be handled humanely from start to finish, with no suffering at all in any phase of their existence.

“This is a battle, we can win!" Dr Aronson said the industrial revolution had brought its own set of 'casualties' to the world and loss of compassion seemed to be one of them.

"I am not sure that we will ever go back to paying homage to our food like the Bushmen do, for example, when they pray for the soul of the animal. But we can go forward. That is the realm of the possible. Can we force people to go vegetarian? No.

“Can we make them more conscious of the role they must play in ensuring that farm animals lead lives worth living? Yes. We can!"

Dr Aronson said he believed that government subsidies should be directed towards making 'kind' food the norm, and not the exception.

"We need to start with slaughter. Long distance transport to abattoirs should be replaced with slaughtering at the farm itself. "Much more economical. Much kinder," he said.

Read Dr Aronson's new book Tales of an African Vet (available at Exclusive Books Price: R184.00) or help vets reach into informal settlements by buying the book from This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it at R180 plus postage. For every book bought in this way, R90 will go towards the Community Veterinary Clinics initiative.

Notable quote:
“The most important human endeavour is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life.” – Albert Einstein