Target: Illinois House of Representatives
Goal: Pass the proposed ban on the slaughter and consumption of lion meat.
While chicken, beef, and pork are regular staples in the diets of many Americans, lion meat is not so common. As a result, lion slaughter that regularly occurs for consumption in certain parts of the world goes mostly under the radar. Campaigns to end inhumane treatment and slaughter of lions are rare, but this does not suggest that it is not a problem. In fact, the opposite is true. Lion slaughter is prevalent. In fact, it is so prevalent that recently, Representative Luis Arroyo from Illinois proposed the Lion Meat Act, legislation which would ban the slaughter and consumption of lion meat in his state.
Critics of Arroyo suggest that it would be more effective to devote resources to conservation efforts than merely making the consumption of lion meat illegal and saving a few lions’ lives. While the actual numbers of lions slaughtered for food are relatively low when compared to the thousands of cattle that are killed every day, ultimately lions are still being slaughtered. While banning lion meat will not save the thousands of cattle, chicken, pigs, and other animals, it is an important step in the right direction. We must make every effort to eliminate senseless slaughter of animals. Whenever animal meat is consumed by people, it is at the expense of some helpless animal in a slaughterhouse or the like. As anyone who has ever visited a slaughterhouse can attest to, it’s not pretty. Innocent, defenseless animals are subjected to gruesome, inhumane treatment that ultimately ends in violent slaughter.
Our world is in the midst of a generation torn between conventional food culture and a universal newfound awareness for the nitty gritty of what really occurs in slaughterhouses, factories, and food manufacturing plants. People are educated and informed about what they are eating and how it got onto their plate, and this is accompanied by a certain compassion for the animals effected. While many people are not about to swear off meat forever, meat consumption has become extremely controversial. Many find it difficult to eat food that was seared violently from the bodies of defenseless, suffering animals.
Furthermore, eating carnivores such as lions and bears is not a good idea. Lions are endangered and we need to take action to conserve the species, as they play an important role in the food chain. Predators fulfill the critical role of maintaining many species below them. If they are removed from the equation, we face booming populations of herbivores and small carnivores that could pose a threat to human food sources. Handling their carcasses is also dangerous because carnivores such as lions eat so many different animals and accumulate many more parasites and diseases. These diseases can be passed on during food preparation.
Sign this petition to urge Illinois to ban lion meat in an effort to conserve an important species, protect human food handlers from disease, and stop the senseless slaughter of beautiful lions.
To the Illinois House of Representatives:
Recently, one of your representatives, Luis Arroyo, proposed legislation which would make the slaughter and consumption of lion meat illegal in Illinois. The Lion Meat Act would not only spare the lions inhumane slaughter, but also protect humans from potential disease and infection and contribute to the conservation of a species that plays a critical role in the food chain.
Lion slaughter is dangerous as well as gruesome and inhumane to the animals. Furthermore, carnivore carcasses are typically more dangerous to handle because these predators have consumed many different types of animals. They have accumulated a greater variety of parasites and diseases, which when slaughtered and prepared for consumption are then exposed to people. If the inhumane nature of lion slaughter and the health hazards posed to humans are not reason enough to make lion meat illegal, then perhaps the effects of a dwindling lion population will be convincing.
Lions play a critical role as predator in the food web, and without them, species below them could multiply profusely. Predators are crucial to keeping a species’ population at carrying capacity, as they regularly hunt and eliminate a given portion of them. By taking the predator out of the picture, these herbivores are allowed to flourish, but they do so by eating plants that in turn other species live off of. A competition then arises between the newly flourishing species and the indigenous one. Food webs will be thrown completely out of balance if lion populations are not left alone.
Please recognize the snowball effects of lion slaughter and take action to pass the proposed ban on lion meat in Illinois.
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Kevin Pluck via Flickr