1,000-pound steer slaughtered at a school.
May 18, 2001
Teens Protest Campus Steer Slaughter
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 7:38 p.m. ET
BREA, Calif. (AP) -- A 1,000-pound steer raised at a parochial school was slaughtered in
front of students as young as 5 to teach them where meat comes from -- a grisly
demonstration that has drawn protests from some quarters.
The youngsters had their parents' permission to watch, but animal rights organizations
objected along with teen-age protesters from outside the school, situated in a well-to-do
rural area on the outskirts of this Southern California city.
The 2-year-old steer named T-Bone was killed by a butcher Thursday at Carbon Canyon
Christian School. The butcher used a stun gun to immobilize the animal, cut it apart with
a knife, skinned it and took out the organs, allowing the youngsters to take a close-up
look at the heart, the tendons and other parts of the carcass.
About half of the school's 170 students observed after their parents signed permission
slips. Some students got queasy and left during the lesson, but most were fascinated,
said Dave Kincer, pastor and principal.
``It was an awesome experience,'' he said, noting that students who cared for the animal
knew it would be slaughtered. ``It gave them a chance to see up close what they've been
reading about in books all year.''
Suzanne Daigle, 14, told The Orange County Register: ``I want to be a surgical nurse and
that proved to me that I could handle watching it.''
Some organizations cautioned the lesson may have a lasting effect on children.
``Studies have shown that when children view violence against animals, it desensitizes
them to animal cruelty and makes them more aggressive,'' said Lacey Levitt of Los
Angeles-based Last Chance for Animals.
About a dozen teen-agers who do not attend the school tried to stop the slaughter by
forming a human chain to keep the butcher from entering the campus. But police told
them they could not block access.
Anjali Heble, 15, said a friend who attends the school told her a few days ago about the
slaughter.
``Everyone was just shocked that this was going on,'' said Heble, a sophomore at a
nearby public school. ``They were killing this cow in front of children who don't have
the ability to understand it. ... They don't know how to handle this.''
Some public school officials did not oppose the public slaughter, noting that 4-H clubs
typically raise animals and learn about the food chain.
``It can be shocking and disturbing to children if they aren't prepared by school
administrators,'' said William Habermehl, superintendent of the Orange County
Department of Education. However, he said, ``there is no doubt it's an educational
experience as long as there is parental permission and it's age-appropriate.''
He said ``age-appropriate'' might depend on such things as whether the youngster was
raised on a farm.
Janice Broyles, a parent and a science teacher at the school, told the Register she
welcomed the chance to show students how blood pumps from the heart and what
tendons look like up close -- lessons demonstrated as the animal was being cut apart.
As for her three children, ages 7 to 11, she said: ``I was concerned about my 7-year-old
seeing it. It could be scary to see death. But he was really fascinated. I think it was an
excellent lesson.''
City Planner David Crabtree said zoning laws where the church is located do not provide
for the keeping or slaughtering of livestock. But councilman Steven Vargas said no
zoning violations occurred.
The school is nestled in the rolling hills of eastern Orange County. It is sandwiched
between horse farms and a state park.
Copyright 2001 The Associated Press |
