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Calves are forced to wear these spiked muzzle so their mothers reject them, to prevent them from drinking their mother’s milk. Does this seem cruel to you? Clearly, it does to us. But the dairy industry nightmare doesn’t stop there. Like any mammal, cows only produce milk from being pregnant and delivering a baby. So, in the dairy industry, they are forcibly impregnated, over and over, to get and keep them lactating. Their baby calves are then taken away shortly after they are born (often immediately), and are sometimes made to wear these spiked muzzles are shown here. This all causes immense distress for both the mother and her baby. All of the “extra” calves that result from this process (including all of the males who will never produce milk) are discarded (i.e., killed) as “byproducts” of the dairy industry (including being sold for “beef” or “veal”). The female calves who are not killed become the next generation of milk-producers. Like their mothers, they will be impregnated, over and over, just to have their babies taken away too. And each female diary cow’s heartbreak and stress of losing her baby is repeated, over and over, until her milk production declines, at a fraction of her natural lifespan, at which time she is sent to a violent and terrifying slaughter. Humans have not consumed milk past weaning or from a different species for the majority of our evolution. We have absolutely no need for any dairy products – we don’t need it for our bones, and indeed we are healthier avoiding it completely. And, of course, there are plant-based versions of every single “dairy” product you can think of (non-dairy milks, ice creams, cheeses, yogurts, etc.). Please recognize the serious consequences of your food choices, and the suffering it inflicts on vulnerable animals. Please take the sensible step of going vegan, and ditch dairy foods (and all other animal products) forever. It’s the least we can do. |