Ecuador Reflection

 

The treatment of animals and the environment in different places on Earth has always interested me, and that interest has only flourished following my trip to Ecuador. Over the course of the two-week expedition, I saw not only how the treatment of animals in Ecuador contrasts heavily to that of Winnipeg, but also how the behaviour of the animals themselves differs in each location. 

 

I had heard many stories from my mother (who travelled to Cuba about 10 years ago), along with Ms. Ryback—the teacher who single-handedly spearheaded the school trip—regarding the plethora of homeless dogs I would come across during my travels. I really thought nothing of it until we stepped off of our travel bus, and I saw that there were dogs everywhere. Especially when we travelled along narrow, winding roads, from one adventure to the next. The farther away we moved from Quito, the happier the dogs seemed to become, which struck me as rather strange. The dogs—not all, but most—were more content than those living in Winnipeg. Was it due to the freedom these dogs possessed, that those here will never know, and never understand? Was it because they were untethered, fulfilling a primal part of living as a “wild” animal? They held no ties to a human family—at least not one that was permanent. And yet… they were so joyful.

 

During one of our lengthy bus rides through a small town, I saw a dead pig strung up by its head, where the people of the town were cutting slabs of meat off the animal to be eaten. At first, I was appalled. This was a sight I had never experienced back home. I’d eaten pig, of course, but I’d never seen in the flesh (pun intended) the meat being stripped from the bone. I was shocked. And sad for the poor animal. However, my views transformed when I began to think about what stringing up the dead pig represented. 

 

It represented death, yes, but also life. Respect. Honour. That’s what I had seen. These people were acknowledging the sacrifice given by the pig. Its life would not be wasted—it would be appreciated. Celebrated. All of the pig would be used. 

 

I contrasted this treatment to the way with which we—in Canada and the U.S—mass produce and process all of our animal products, and realized we don’t even acknowledge the lives we are taking. According to Peta, the United States kills approximately 9 billion every year for the food they provide—and we don’t even respect the animal enough to finish all of the food on our plates. There is no honour here in terms of the animals we kill. A countless number of pigs are slaughtered every day, only to be loaded onto conveyor belts and processed until they are unrecognizable. 

 

Perhaps the processing of animals comes from a place of guilt, hidden so deep we don’t even realize it’s there. Or perhaps we are all simply ignorant. 

 

All I know is that a great portion of the environmental issues we are currently facing are due to the mass production of animals in Canada and the United States. If we adopted the mindsets of the people in Ecuador—that animals deserve our respect, especially the animals we kill so we can live—the world would be all the better for it.