Cows!

Cows! Yes I know what you’re thinking, what the heck? How can cows be one of humanity’s mistakes ? Surely whatever a cow does is fault of the cow. Well perhaps not. Cows, although they are quite cute (some may not think so but I certainly do), they aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed.

Cows are, by far, the most, delicious tasting animals! Nothing is better than a well cooked steak. A few people may not agree, but I believe they are just that, “few”. The proof is in how well the beef and dairy industry are doing. The big problem is that now it’s getting a bit out of hand.

Relating back to the overpopulation of humans, we now are facing an overpopulation of cows, and we can’t go blaming it on the cows because, no offence to them, they would never have done as well as they have without us. The only reason they are here is because we continually provide them with more food (food that could be feeding those who are starving around the world), water (water we can’t afford to keep pulling up from the ground), space (more space than even we are using ourselves) and protection, from any harm that may come there way (that is until we are ready to eat them ourselves).

Not only do they take up a lot of room and resources, they also play a damaging role in many environments they have now been kindly introduced to. Let’s take Australia for example, a country filled with dry hot deserts. Many plants and animals have adapted well to these conditions and thrived. Australian native grasslands in particular thrived in some harsh conditions of low nutrient soils and not much water. These grasslands provided food and shelter for many species, and are now threatened by the unrelenting hooves of cattle. As you may already be aware Australia’s native wildlife does not include any heavy hard hoofed mammals and were unfortunately not tough enough to endure such a beating.

Also providing water for our hard hoofed friends, has led to the spread of other introduced species that are not soo friendly toward native wildlife, i.e the cane toad, wild cats and dingos. Who are now making their way across the desert to places they have not been able to reach previously, making the small haven for native species even smaller. Not to mention their quite decently sized role in contributing to climate change.

Now I’m not hating on cows they aren’t intentionally doing any of this, it’s unfortunately just who they are. These factors might never have been a big issue if they didn’t taste soo good, and if there wasn’t so many people on this planet to feed. But looking at it now with 7 + billion people, farming cows for beef, and even their byproducts like milk and cheese, is just not sustainable. That’s without mentioning the ethics behind the industry, which will alone, turn you right off! So whether you choose to now, or are forced into cutting them out in the future, is up to you.

I myself have recently gone vegan. I was not vegetarian previously, and I love the taste of cheese, milk and everything cow, don’t worry I know how hard it is. Defiantly tough, but I have actually noticed a change in myself for the better. I’m not saying you have to go full vegan, but how about trying to go without beef and it’s byproducts (yes that means cheese) for 1 week. Or challenge yourself, see if you can go a whole month! It’s an interesting experiment that allows you to see just how much we rely on the beef and dairy industry for our food. And I mean who wants to drink baby calf growth milk anyway !

 

All photos were taken myself, go to the about page to find out more about me

To find out more about how hard hoofed animals led to the spread of invasive species click here.

To find out more about the sustainability of cows click here.