Temple Grandin, PhD, PAS
Dr. Grandin is considered the world's leading expert on farmed-animal welfare. She is an associate professor of livestock behavior at Colorado State University and an animal welfare advisor to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the meat industry. Dr. Grandin states:
"The handling of both the calves and cows was atrocious animal abuse. ... These people were deliberately torturing animals and their behavior was totally sickening.
"The poor animals were bellowing in pain and distress.
"These people should be prosecuted for cruelty to animals. This video showed animal torture equally as bad as the infamous Westland Hallmark video. It was shocking."
Holly Cheever, DVM
Dr. Cheever is a veterinary practitioner who has had a lifetime of exposure to dairy cattle. Dr. Cheever is a graduate of Cornell's School of Veterinary Medicine and assists local and state law officers in the investigation and prosecution of animal abuse, frequently in cases involving dairy cattle. Dr. Cheever states:
"What distresses me as much as the degree of violence is the fact that none of the animals merits any form of correction: all the calves are standing placidly awaiting their milk ration and should not be receiving any corrective discipline at all—and what they experience has nothing to do with proper corrective disciplinary actions, and everything to do with unprovoked gratuitous, vicious, beatings.
"[T]he treatment that these cows are receiving goes way beyond impatience and poor technique on the part of the handlers: these actions are gratuitous, violent, brutal, and are calculated to cause suffering."
Bernard E. Rollin, PhD
Dr. Rollin is a distinguished professor of animal science at Colorado State University and is well known internationally for his over 30 years of work in animal welfare. He was a major architect of federal laws protecting laboratory animals, and has written two books on farmed animal welfare. He serves on the Pew Commission examining confined animal feeding operations and is an expert witness on animal welfare issues in the U.S. and abroad. Dr. Rollin states:
"This is probably the most gratuitous, sustained, sadistic animal abuse I have ever seen. The video depicts calculated, deliberate cruelty, based not on momentary rage but on taking pleasure through causing pain to cows and calves who are defenseless. In my opinion, the individuals shown are twisted and dangerous."
William Wailes, BS
Mr. Wailes is an extension dairy specialist and Head of the Department of Animal Sciences at Colorado State University, is an internationally renowned dairy expert, and has owned and been involved with dairy farms all of his life. He states:
"It is hard to put into words what you have captured in this footage, total abuse of animals in the worst possible interaction with a person totally not qualified working with animals! This is beyond comprehension..."
Debra Teachout DVM, MVSc
Dr. Teachout is a practicing veterinarian who graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. She also holds an advanced degree in veterinary clinical pathology from Western College of Veterinary Medicine and completed additional coursework in farmed animal welfare. Dr. Teachout states:
"This undercover video ... is shocking in its revelation of overt acts of sheer brutality to the calves and cows at the farm. There are clearly numerous indisputably egregious acts of animal abuse committed by the stockmen captured on video. The animals at this farm suffer severe physical and mental abuse.
"These very young calves are suffering immeasurable physical and mental injury and torment.
"The fact that there are several different people captured in the acts of malicious attacks on the calves and cows suggests an exceedingly permissive and even supportive atmosphere for animal cruelty to become the norm at this facility. ... There is obviously no respect for the animals or for their welfare at all. ... The lives of the calves and cows at this farm are full of terror and pain."
Geoff Ball, DVM
Dr. Ball is a licensed veterinarian with 19 years of experience working with animals. As part of Dr. Ball's training he has studied farmed animals and zoonotic disease. Dr. Ball's veterinary practice involves evaluating animals for pain and stress in various situations. Dr Ball states:
"This has to be the most shocking and malicious video of animal cruelty that I have seen ... There is no need to explain how the actions shown are unusually cruel and [show] amazing levels of stress and neglect unto these animals.
"In many cases the attacks seem to be made just for the sake of causing pain. The [workers] shown should be viewed as a threat to all species of animals and should be investigatied as far as [their] potential to strike the same sort of suffering on humans as well. This footage should be seen as a red flag for child, spousal and other forms of violence."
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