Animal abuse is not a charity!

[Mark Hawthorne]

It’s a betrayal of trust, pure and simple. Nurturing a child’s natural love of four-legged creatures, ag programs like those offered by Devil’s Gulch Ranch (devilsgulchranch.com) – which raises rabbits, pigs and sheep for slaughter in Marin County – educate kids in one of life’s cruelest hypocrisies. Children come to Devil’s Gulch Ranch eager to interact with animals in a summer camp environment. Then these animals are killed, their flesh sold to local restaurants and, in the case of the rabbits, their fur used for camp crafts. Imagine the impression this has on a child, who regarded a sensitive bunny as a playful friend one moment, and then was left only with his skin the next.

Unfortunately, Nicasio-based Devil’s Gulch Ranch is one of the beneficiaries of the upcoming Marin Wine Auction (marinwineauction.com). The auction is supposed to support worthy causes, including the Marin Art and Garden Center and the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin County. But a facility for teaching children animal abuse hardly seems worthy.

Because they are not covered under the federal Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, rabbits killed at Devil’s Gulch Ranch suffer the most terrifying deaths imaginable; indeed, rabbits may be fully conscious while being slaughtered.

Animal-killing courses taught by FFA, 4H and Devil’s Gulch Ranch are of special concern today, when educators and school administrators cite campus violence as a paramount concern. Indeed, according to a fact sheet from the Humane Society of the United States, “Many studies in psychology, sociology, and criminology during the last 25 years have demonstrated that violent offenders frequently have childhood and adolescent histories of serious and repeated animal cruelty.”

What message are we giving kids when we encourage them to care for a helpless being and then slaughter the animal? How can we possibly teach these same children that violence is wrong?

Please contact the Keiretsu Forum, the “angel investment” corporation hosting the auction, and let them know you don’t believe teaching children violence is appropriate for a charitable event. The auction begins this Saturday, September 13, so please contact them right away:

Elizabeth May
Event Director, Marin Wine Auction
elizabeth@keiretsuforum.com
Tel: (415) 244-9890

Tom Dowd
Chair, Keiretsu Forum Charitable Foundation
tom@dowdandguild.com

Thank you!
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