What I saw at the abattoir/slaughterhouse

While I was visiting South Africa this year, I had the opportunity to visit an abattoir. I didn’t really want to go, in fact the thought filled me with dread, but I had to go. I went in the spirit of bearing witness to the suffering of others as promoted by Mahatma Ghandi. In seeing the truth for ourselves we become more connected to the victims and more able to promote their cause from our direct experience.  

The abattoir property is large, sprawling, grey and ugly. In the distance we could hear continuous and torturous screaming of pigs. We drove us closer to where we could see the cause of the screaming. I switched on my video camera hoping to get good footage, although it is not allowed. A truck driver and his assistant were offloading large pigs into the holding pens.  The pigs, in their panic from being chased off the truck had fallen and were stuck in a “pile up”. The pigs at the bottom were crushed by the pigs above them who in turn were trapped by pigs pushing up from behind.

The poor pigs were completely helpless and trapped. As I looked closer, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The driver, in frustration, was using an electric prod over and over again to electrocute the backs and faces of the trapped pigs. This explained their terrible screaming and terror.  I couldn't take it and ran forward asking the handler to stop and be kind. He made excuses for himself, but amazingly he did stop! An assistant used a plastic bag to chase the pigs and somehow managed to get the pigs unstuck and they were left in their holding pen. Even though I couldn’t walk up close I could see that many of the pigs had bulging protrusions near their anus/genitals and others had sores and welts on their backs and faces.

I went home in shock knowing that those poor pigs were waiting in their pens overnight to face an even worse fate the next day.  That dreadful day we witnessed was the first time that those poor pigs felt a breeze on their back and the earth beneath their feet. I could not get the images of their sad terrified eyes and the sound of their terrible screams out of my head. I knew I had visited hell on Earth. I want to share it with the world, but unfortunately, my footage was terrible because my hands were shaking too much from shock and panic. In some ways, I wish I hadn’t intervened so that I could have filmed it calmly and shown the world what I had seen. But, on the other hand I couldn’t stand to see those poor animals being electrocuted over and over again.  The other factor to consider is that there would most probably be legal repercussions for releasing footage filmed on private land without permission. Animal farmers and abattoirs will do almost anything to prevent the truth of their brutality being seen.

The experience has increased my commitment to release animals from their prisons, their enslavement and their violent deaths. This is not simply an animal welfare issue.  The use of an electric prod is legal. Leaving animals without food and water for 72 hours is legal. Killing is legal. Therefore, calling the SPCA or an animal welfare society will do nothing to help pigs and other animals trapped in this violent system. The problem is that the system of agriculture, which involves genetic manipulation, confinement and killing is inherently violent and is based on a system of domination, oppression and speciecism.  Once one adds a profit incentive, it is virtually impossible to ensure the well being of farmed animals.  Animals, like human animals, should be allowed to live free and natural lives. As Alice Walker said:

The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. 

They were not made for humans any more than black people
were made for white, or women created for men.

Note: There are likely legal and other negative repercussions for taking photos and videos inside the abattoir property. For this reason I cannot disclose the location or anything that might reveal the location.

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Photos from the abattoir:

A beautiful young calf discarded next to the meat bin

A decapitated calf