Madness Factor

When I saw the headline a few days ago about “Molly B.,” the slaughterhouse escapee cow, I wasn’t sure I should read the story—I didn’t know if I wanted to find out how it ended. As of today, her story hasn’t ended, but according to an article in the Seattle PI, things are looking brighter for plucky ol’ Molly. The slaughterhouse doesn’t want to do the deed, and her owner is willing to sell her. The slaughterhouse didn’t specify an asking amount, but it sounds like the owner is taking bids, and that she’ll go for a lot more than the $1140 she would be worth slaughtered.

Admittedly, if I had the room in my back yard and a few Gs to spend, I might make an offer myself. The thing is, even though such an act would save Molly and make me feel good, it would not begin to address the larger issue at hand: The suffering of factory-farmed animals in this country, who endure years of living in miserable conditions, only to meet a grisly fate at the end of a slaughterhouse chute. I don’t even know if Molly B. came from a factory farm, but chances are good she is indeed a victim of modern farming practices. Maybe her story will tug at just enough heartstrings that the media spotlight will finally shine on issues surrounding animal welfare in farming. Somehow, I doubt it….