|
This x-ray looks like the silhouette of a human body, but it’s actually a female orangutan. She was found in Indonesia with 74 bullets in her body. Someone shot her, at least 74 times, with an air rifle. The white marks you see are the bullets in her body. Surprisingly, the orangutan survived and was rehabilitated, but her baby (who depended on her) died of malnutrition and dehydration. Our decimation of animals and nature is very real. We are encroaching on their habitats for our homes and (even more so) for our farmlands. We are annihilating biodiversity and the very environment upon which all life depends. This orangutan was shot, but most are being killed to make room for farmlands, especially palm fruit plantations. And palm oil demand is projected to increase significantly in the next few decades as our human population continues to grow. Of course, the single biggest driver of deforestation right now that is causing biodiversity and species loss is animal agriculture. A mass global shift to veganism is a necessary and very impactful action each of us can and should take immediately. But we also cannot ignore our unsustainable rate of population growth, which is relentlessly increasing by over 1,500,000 every single week, multiplying every single harmful impact we are having on the planet. The victims are very real. They are mothers and fathers and children. And they are paying the ultimate price for our careless and reckless growth and consumption. Please go vegan, and also reduce your consumption and waste in any other way you can. Please also consider the benefits of smaller families, and support family planning, women’s rights, and adoption as well. Every single person has an environmental footprint, and we need to be mindful of the impact that 7.7 billion humans and growing has on the entire planet. |