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Andrew Skowron Exposes The Everyday Reality Of Farm Animals And It Might Turn You Into A Vegetarian (30 Pics)
Andrew Skowron has been an animal rights activist for over 20 years, and for many years he's been documenting the reality of animals in factory farms. The places he visits and the images he sees on a daily basis are unbearable for most people, but Andrew keeps coming back and fighting even harder for the world to see the animals for who they truly are - friends, not food.
For the new decade, Andrew wrote a letter to everybody who loves animals and wants to see them free and happy.
Andrew
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A Fox Making An Eye Contact During An Intervention On A Fur Farm
"Hi, my name is Andrew. I've been working as a farm animal photographer for many years. Today, I want to ask you a favor for the new decade."
A Pig Transported To Slaughter
Sleeping Piglets On A Pig Farm
"Every year, I visit numerous factory farms. Very often people don't want to look at my photos, not because they are bad, but because they show the reality our society doesn't want to see. We don't want to see the pain, the neglect, the suffering. We don't want to acknowledge the terrible crime we, as humans, committed towards the animals. And I get it, trust me. I know how difficult it is to see another living creature hurt. I've been to more factory farms than I can count, and the things I've seen will haunt me forever."
A Pig Interacting With The Activists
A Sleeping Chinchilla On A Fur Farm
"Calves crying for their mothers, as they are taken away from them right after birth. Exhausted, exploited laying hens, practically featherless, barely breathing. Broiler chickens too heavy to lift their own bodies, unable to get to water or food. Minks and foxes going crazy in tiny cages of fur farms, with injuries to their paws and bodies. Quails kept in cages so small and dirty, they couldn't even dream of spreading their wings. Piglets having their tails cut off, teeth clipped, castrated with no anesthesia, screaming for help. Sows kept in farrowing crates, where they can't even turn around. Geese transported to slaughter in 40-degree heat."
Motherhood In Factory Farms, Pig Farm
Pigs Consoling Each Other, Pig Farm
How do they know they at consoling each other. I wish people had this kind of love for their fellow humans.
"I've been to hell and I keep coming back. I get it - it's difficult to watch. But we cannot turn a blind eye on the way animals are treated on factory farms anymore. We cannot pretend they are not there, just because we can't hear their screams from our apartments. It's time to wake up. It's time to make an uprising."
A Meeting With A Bull, Dairy Farm
A Piglet Having Its Tail Cut Off Without Anesthesia
Teeth are cut because they are super sharp and while nursing, they will cause damage while nursing. This leads to a huge increase in mama pig getting an infection and possibly sick or worse, die. The piglets will also fight each other over where to nurse, causing injuries that can produce life long struggles...like losing an eye etc. Teeth cutting, tail docking, and castration are all done without anesthesia because...pigs do HORRIBLE on anesthesia. The risk of the pig dying while under the influence of anesthesia, for a procedure that takes less than 5mins, is not worth it...basic risk benefit analysis. The procedures are done sterile and quickly as possible...for the sake of the pig. They are back to doing Pig Things in less than 5minutes from being let go after procedure. Under anesthesia, the recover is hours and dying is a huge possibility.
"This next decade, I am asking you to be more open-minded. To do your research. I am asking you not to skip that slaughterhouse video. I am asking you to live according to your values - if you really love animals, help them. Don't eat them. Support animal rights activists, fight for the better world with us. Open your mind, eyes, and heart. The nightmare we created for the animals is real and difficult to accept, but if we unite and act now, as a community - we will win this fight and make this world a better place for the animals. And for ourselves."
Broiler Chicken, Unable To Move
meat chickens are designed for this unfortunately. generally people slaughter them a bit before they splay out. Eventually they are too heavy. I raised meat birds. They lived a happy life until they died.
A Piglet Screaming In Pain, Pig Farm
Pigs scream at literally everything they dislike, its their main defense mechanism. There is no guarantee this one is in pain rather than just unhappy
"I believe in you. I believe your heart is stronger than your taste buds. I believe you don't want animals to suffer. I believe we're in this together. Let's make this new decade a new era."
Terrified Fox, Waiting To Be Rescued, Fur Farm
I hope he got rescued. There is no reason to wear fur in a world where it can be made from fabrics that are hard to tell from the real thing. What benefit is there in owning real fur?
Determining The Sex Of The Chickens
Dirty And Exhausted Pig On A Pig Farm In Poland
This is how pigs look. It is not possible to tell if this pig is sad or not from this picture.
A Pig Breathing Fresh Air For The First Time
1) there is no context to show where they are at. 2) carbon dioxide and oxygen are colorless so you can not tell how fresh it is. 3) if they did not get fresh air they would be dead.
Ducklings On A Duck Farm, Ukraine
Pigs Going To Slaughter In An Overcrowded Truck
Look like they just came from a fair. I can tell because of the blue stripes on the back.
A Lamb Drinking Milk From Its Mother
A Raccoon Dog, Fur Farm In Poland
People buy raccoon fur? And fox fur? Why. It's not only inhumane and stupid, it's ugly too
Sad And Lonely, Pig Farm
An Activist Holding A One-Day-Old Broiler Chicken
You can't rescue broilers. They are genetically bred to get so heavy so fast they break legs, end up with deformed beaks etc. They cannot have quality of life beyond 6-8 weeks
A Crying Cow On The Way To Slaughterhouse
Animals don't shed tears due to sadness. It's to clean their eyes. Just like dogs and cats and pigs and lambs.
A Curious Fox On A Fur Farm, Looking At Activists
Laboratory Rabbit
There's so much wrong in this picture! Bunnies need a carpeted flooring, or else they'll get feet pains with their overly fluffy feet bottoms. Bunny has nothing to do, either, and nowhere to hide!
A Terrified Raccoon Dog, Fur Farm In Poland
Calves In Igloo Booths, Dairy Farm
This is actually pretty nice compared to the single sheet uninsulated plywood calf shacks I've seen in my local rural areas. It's very sad but these little guys have it better than most.
Calves Separated From Their Mothers And Each Other, Dairy Farm
Pigs Going To Slaughter, Trying To Breathe Fresh Air For The First Time
To assume that the pigs are "struggling to get fresh air" is absurd. Pigs are like dogs in a lot of ways. They are very curious in nature, have great hearing, and incredible sense of smell...for rooting out food that is underneath the soil. Pigs will always smell to get a sense of their surroundings, when their vision is blocked by something...just like dogs. If you have ever seen a pig pile (where all the pigs lay all over each other while they sleep), their snouts are crammed quite often, which they don't care...otherwise they would move to a more comfortable position.
Pig Screaming In Pain
A Calf On A Dairy Farm, Kept In An Igloo Booth
This is an important perspective the pictures are touching. However - I grew up in a farming community where our animals were treated like pets. Making it sound like this is every farm is irresponsible. Lots of people practice responsible, sustainable, humane, free-range farming. Take pictures of them too.
1. Few people bother to look where their food comes from. 2. Family farms produce a negligible amount of all animal products. 3. So tell me more about how animals at your farm are treated.
Load More Replies...This is just too silly. I've tried to comment some of the picture to explain what they really show, and get downvoted. I suspect some people doesn't want to hear about it and possibly learn something new.
I grew up on a farm. We had few animals, but we still had to give shots and geld and occasionally give them some discomfort (just like we humans get when we're at the doctor). It wasn't fun, but we were only supporting ourselves. If we'd tried to "go big", I don't doubt matters would have been different. I've seen factory farms, and they're horror shows of confinement and filth. If people would pay more for eggs or meat or dairy, then farms might not have evolved to treat animals like that, b/c ti takes *time* and *effort* to make sure every animal is treated well and has land to roam and all that. And nobody wants to do that. They want cheap hamburger and bacon.
Load More Replies...This is an important perspective the pictures are touching. However - I grew up in a farming community where our animals were treated like pets. Making it sound like this is every farm is irresponsible. Lots of people practice responsible, sustainable, humane, free-range farming. Take pictures of them too.
1. Few people bother to look where their food comes from. 2. Family farms produce a negligible amount of all animal products. 3. So tell me more about how animals at your farm are treated.
Load More Replies...This is just too silly. I've tried to comment some of the picture to explain what they really show, and get downvoted. I suspect some people doesn't want to hear about it and possibly learn something new.
I grew up on a farm. We had few animals, but we still had to give shots and geld and occasionally give them some discomfort (just like we humans get when we're at the doctor). It wasn't fun, but we were only supporting ourselves. If we'd tried to "go big", I don't doubt matters would have been different. I've seen factory farms, and they're horror shows of confinement and filth. If people would pay more for eggs or meat or dairy, then farms might not have evolved to treat animals like that, b/c ti takes *time* and *effort* to make sure every animal is treated well and has land to roam and all that. And nobody wants to do that. They want cheap hamburger and bacon.
Load More Replies...