The majority of people goes vegan because they want to save the animals.
This sounds great at first sight, but in reality the word 'save' is quite ambiguous.
What is exactly meant with 'saving' animals?
Although going vegan to save the animals is a noble reason, it can be misunderstood by
others and therefore it can actually lead to more conflict rather than more understanding.
So if we want the movement to grow, we need to be as transparent as possible about what
we mean when we say certain things.
So lets first define what is actually meant by 'saving animals' when you go vegan.
First of all, just because you went vegan; you won't save the farm animals that get
raised to be killed in a slaughterhouse or the thousands of fish that get caught every
second, and they also won't be spared either.
Unfortunately, there is not a lot we can do to save the lives of these animals, since
they are already part of factory food cycle.
However, you can save the lives of farm animals by making sure that they will never exist
in the first place.
So basically, by going vegan, you're preventing that less animals will quote on quote 'produced
to be killed'.
Any decrease in demand for animal products will eventually have the effect of decreasing
the number of animals produced for consumption.
Secondly, going vegan will not only have an positive effect on the lives of farm animals,
it will also help animals who are being used for animal testing.
By choosing products that are cruelty-free, you decrease the demand for products that
contain animal exploitation in one form or another.
Furthermore, by going vegan you automatically minimize your contribution to the deforestation
of the rain forest and destruction of natural ecosystems such as the marine ecosystems.
So in sum up; when people talk about going vegan to save the animals, they mean they
want to live a lifestyle that minimizes the harm they do animals as much possible, which
ultimately results into saving the lives of as much animals as they possibly can in their
lifetime.
So I just said, that there wasn't much you could do about saving the lives of farm animals
or animals in general that are currently alive.
Though not much doesn't mean nothing.
You can improve the quality of their lives by donating money to vegan charities or by
volunteering and helping to spread the message of these charities.
Many vegan charities dedicate their time to improving the lives of farm animals through
activism, outreach, social media campaigns and legislations.
Some of these vegan charities actually rescue animals and bring them to animal sanctuaries
where they can live in peace.
So now that you know what 'saving animals' actually means, and with all the misconceptions
out of the way, lets take a look at how many animals a vegan can save, or in other words;
can prevent from being bred to life on a farm and to get killed for their meat.
There are different calculators on the internet that you can find that all have different
answers to the question of the video.
Rather than talking about all of them, I'm going to share with you 2 calculators that
in my opinion aim to give you the most accurate information possible.
The first one can be found on the http://thevegancalculator.com/.
This metrics in this calculator are based on the scientific resources that were used
for the documentary cowspiracy.
Besides finding out about the amount of animal lives that you saved, it also shows the amount
of water, carbon dioxide, grain and square meter of the rainbow forest you saved.
The second one can be found on thevegansociety.com.
This calculator is called the veganlyser.
It shows the difference you will make if you go vegan today and it shows the difference
you've made so far as a vegan.
Their figures for fish and land animals slaughtered were compiled from the Food and Agriculture
Organisation's statistics data.
So just like the previous calculator, this one is also based on hard facts and data.
However, when you compare the outcomes between the 2 calculators you will find out that there
are big differences.
Does this mean that these calculators are flawed?
Yes, of course they are and this can be explained very simply.
Given the complexity of animal agriculture, it is not possible to determine this number
with precise accuracy: however, a general estimate can be determined.
This estimate will be lower than the real number because many numbers of slaughtered
animals in certain countries go unreported.
Secondly, the figures are based on different sources as well.
This doesn't mean that the other source is more accurate than the other, it just means
that there are different ways to look at it based on the available data.
Finally, keep in mind that these calculators should be used as indicators, not as cold
proof to show everyone that you saved 5 pigs, 10 cows and 3 chickens and therefore you're
better than non-vegans.
Instead, view them as motivation to continue your vegan journey and to keep making ethical
choices in your life; because you are really making a significant difference in the world
by going vegan.
With that said, if you enjoyed the video; I would appreciate it if you subscribed to
the channel!
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