"Some people still kill a lobster
by throwing it in boiling water.
But by now everyone should know
that for the animal
it is the most agonizing death,
because it takes so long for it to die.
The best way to kill a lobster
is with a well placed stab in the neck.
It's the quickest".
Isn't it true about human relationships too?
I saw this movie last week and loved it.It is a German movie, but has English sub titles.There is something compelling about the movie.It's about a workaholic chef who has to force herself out of her fixation and get a life.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Balan. And also that all living things are made for mans pleasure
ReplyDelete( so said the Lord)quote the Genesis.
And hence man kills not for food alone like the lesser animals , the predators amongst them kill for food only, quite puny creatures !!
@Balachandran and Kurup
ReplyDeleteI never mentioned pain.It is suffering of some kind. Neither did I endorse any comments.Why do we talk about cruelty to animals? Will you beat or thrash your loving pet,knowing it has no emotions?Do it sometime and see him enjoy it. Come on,Balan.
I always felt uncomfortable when we used to pith the frogs for our physiology experiments.
Whether animals can feel pain has been a controversial issue for many years. Animals and humans share similar mechanisms of pain detection, have similar areas of the brain involved in processing pain and show similar pain behaviours, but it is notoriously difficult to assess how animals actually experience pain.
Pain can be considered to have two components: (1) physical hurt or discomfort caused by injury or disease; and (2) emotional suffering. Most people would agree that animals are capable of feeling pain according to the first definition. But it is less clear whether they also feel emotional pain.
One of the functions of pain is to warn against damage and to act as an alarm system so that action can be taken to avoid or minimize injury. This usually takes the form of a withdrawal reflex. This sensory capacity is termed ‘nociception’, a simple detection and reflex response to damage, to distinguish it from pain.
Nociceptive nerves, which preferentially detect injury-causing stimuli, have been identified in a variety of animals, including invertebrates. Indeed, the leech and sea slug are classic model systems for studying nociception. However, it is believed that invertebrates are capable only of stimulus-response reactions and lack the necessary brain system that vertebrates have to process pain.All vertebrates possess the primitive areas of the brain to process nociceptive information, namely the medulla, thalamus and limbic system.
Although comparatively simple, fish have recently been shown to possess sensory neurons that are sensitive to damaging stimuli and are physiologically identical to human nociceptors. Fish show several responses to a painful event: they adopt guarding behaviours, become unresponsive to external stimuli and their respiration increases. These responses disappear when the fish are given morphine – evidence that they are, mechanistically at least, directly analogous to pain responses in more complex animals
In short,it is the emotional component of pain that they do not feel.We feel pain even without physical injury,like when we lose a loved one.Animals probably do not have well developed neocortex to process the emotional aspect.
I totally agree with you Doc. Its impossible to kill any pet or animal just thinking it has no imotions. But afterll who are we humans to decide if they have any emotions or sense atall? I just loved the way you compared the lobster's killing to life. HeHe thinking about a man living with a devil for all his life till his death.....its agonising indeed!A stab would be much better....saves his soul! Am i right ?!
ReplyDeleteI do feel that all living things, including trees, do have the capability of feeling pain, I am not talking logic or science here:):), it’s just a feeling. Why does our pet dogs come running to us when they see us if they don’t have feelings? I know of a dog which died when his master went away on transfer. He didn’t eat or drink for a few days and died.
ReplyDeleteThe mental pain we experience sometimes could feel like almost physical pain at times, like when we lose someone we love, either in a break up or death. Nice post.
I did not know this. I do not cook lobster,and yes it seems like a very inhuman way to kill someone.
ReplyDeleteshe has a son too right ?
ReplyDeleteI think I have seen it in bits and pieces on the telly.
(my memory is going from bad to worse)
Doc yes you did not mention pain- well is not suffering a euphemism for pain
ReplyDeleteand vice versa?
In any case living with the wrong one is worse than a swim in boiling water.
@Anil,
ReplyDeleteHonestly,it is difficult to say.Cant we suffer without pain?
Just look at the humane side of it.(In fact,there is no humane side about it)If you want to kill someone,is there any need for a torture unless you are a fanatic.
This pain argument is not that simple.Even if we connect pain and suffering,it is still not possible to say that animals do not feel pain.In fact,newer researches from Belfast do suggest that even crabs feel pain,and then retain the memory of it.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090327072759.htm
These findings are far from being conclusive, but they do suggest the possibility to err on the side of caution when preparing these creatures for food. There are a number of ways of preparing crustaceans that has been suggested as humane,putting them in boiling water is not one of them.
I fully agree to the latter part of the comment.Because after the swim,we are unlikely to survive!
Oops! Doc, i tried to modify my earlier comment and it got deleted in the process!
ReplyDeleteLot of research is going on in animal ethology and the emotional world of animals. I have read a few of them and what i understand is that animals feel both physical and mental pain as humans do.In my earlier comment, I was mocking at the human indifference to the suffering of other creatures.
Like you said, there is no humane killing; for the victim, it doesn't make any difference. It only eases the conscience of the killer; i.e., if he has one.
Off topic, I recently saw a Tee shirt with the following line:
SOME PEOPLE ARE ALIVE SIMPLY BECAUSE IT IS AGAINST THE LAW TO KILL THEM
I feel very very sad to see anything killed, I feel sad even to pluck leaves!
ReplyDeleteYour verses are excellent analogy to life.
@Balan,
ReplyDeleteI was being silly when I tried to give all the explanation.Still,there are people who believe that invertebrates do not perceive pain.But how can we be sure? We know pain only from personal experience.How can we even know another person's pain?
@Insignia
Millions of animals are being slaughtered every year for various reasons.Man is the only creature who kills for fun.Animals kill only when they are hungry.
Have you seen this movie?
@Pinky
Haven't seen you for a while.Like Anil said"Living with the wrong one is worse than swimming in boiling water"
@Meera
It is impossible to measure what they feel.I have felt that they are capable of love and hate.
@Rachna
If at all, make it least painful.
@Haddock
Yes,her sister died in an accident and the child is with her.If you don't remember,probably you didn't like it much!
Nice,,,killing anybody human or animal is bad... I Mean feel the pain when you kill somebody...how it feels when it happens to you...think about it..we are all humans..how can we do that..Seriously if I see a slaughter house...I wont like to eat meaT or anything...I am a non vegetarian but like to eat ...vegetarian food most of the time!
ReplyDeletekilling brutally is inhuman!
Dr Antony,
ReplyDeleteIt is an excellent subject you picked up. Recently I read a book about it. Per this book, most animals are like humans and they have intelligence and cognitive abilities.
Killing animals is like killing humans...that is what the books implies...I really got moved...
I have not yet become vegetarian and that was not the purpose of the book but made me think hard on it....
Thanks
Thanks for the info. I agree with your comment "Man is the only creature who kills for fun. Animals kill only when they are hungry"
ReplyDeleteI became sad just looking at the picture. I totally agree with you on pain. Pain is a way of life, not a second goes by that someone or something does not experience pain in some way. I enjoyed reading this post and all the blogger's comments including yours. I always enjoy coming by and thanks for the visit. It is also nice knowing you, have a nice week.
ReplyDeletelovely and thought provoking post.
ReplyDelete@harman
ReplyDeleteI know it is not possible to have a world without killing.Is there a need to murder someone trying to commit suicide!
@A.Yes. I do believe that they have some kind of understanding too.We see it in their eyes.
@Jarlin
Welcome. Please,Come as often as u can.
What right do we have to do that? Just because they cant answer back?
@Cloud
Pain is part of life.The price we pay for living.
@Sujata
Welcome.It is nice to see seasoned bloggers.So much to learn from you.
agreed with that .. i am anti that .. no slow deaths .. if you got to kill make it a quick one
ReplyDeletei myself would not want to die a slow death.. for me to it shud bea quick one .. over and done with ..
Bikram's
I fully agree with you that animals only kill when they are hungry. I love all types of animals and I am fond of dogs. I appreciate for your wonderful and thought provoking post. Very well written. Keep it up!
ReplyDelete@Bikram
ReplyDeleteI know you by now!
@Babli
Against cruelty to animals.