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Articles Ducks Saved From The Meat Grinder Babylon seventh grader Tim Eisemann took a stand
against inhumane treatment of duckling in school programs. Alicyn Leigh 03/30/2005 5:47 pm
Tim Eisemann, a 13-year-old seventh grader from Babylon, has taken action
against his local school district regarding an educational program that
might look great on the surface, but has a horrific ending for the animals
involved. Children in grades K-6 are often asked to participate in the rearing of
ducklings, and then give them back, leading to the ducks later being
slaughtered for food. The value of life is not taught�what is being taught
is selfish acts that continue to create our throwaway society. In addition,
teachers who aren't versed in raising farm animals are running these
projects, so the animals suffer unjustly. While Eisemann, was attending sixth grade at Babylon Memorial Grade
School, he and his classmates were involved in such a program, which is
fairly common, according to Susan Marino, founder/director of Angel's Gate
Hospice & Rehabilitation Center for Animals in Fort Salonga. "Every year thousands of classrooms across the country participate in
what they call 'hatchling programs,'" Marino explains. "Fertilized eggs from
chickens or ducks are placed in elementary school classrooms to be
incubated. The purpose is to offer enrichment for the student. But when
students like Eisemann ask, 'What will happen to these animals that we have
hatched?' and he is told that they will be killed, where is the enrichment?"
Eisemann himself remembers what was said by his insensitive sixth grade
teacher, who he will not name: "He said something along the lines of, 'When
we're finished with the ducks they will go back to the farm and end up in
the Chinese restaurant.'" INSTITUTIONALIZED CRUELTY Marino says that during the program, teachers are encouraged to open the
shell of the egg so that the students can observe the developing embryo.
Also, the eggs must routinely be turned. Since there is no one at schools on
the weekends to do this, often the animals are born with deformities. There
are other mishaps too: Sometimes the eggs are accidentally dropped, or some
chicks may be sent home with students. Their families, though well intended,
aren't equipped to care for these animals. "By early summer families are looking to place the animal," Marino says.
"Many are killed by other family pets. This is just another trauma that the
child must deal with." According to psychologists, viewing this program can be confusing. "Pets
need to be cared for humanely, so children as well will feel secure," says
Dr. Rob Seiler, a psychologist based in Huntington. "Young children tend to
give animals human feelings or character traits, since that is what they are
most familiar with. They would be most secure knowing that adults treat
animals with the same consideration as they treat their children. Otherwise,
they might wonder how adults will care for them." "Hatching chicks only to kill them does not teach children to be
responsible caretakers. It does, however, in my opinion demonstrate again
how disposable a society we are," adds Marino. The fate for most animals used in school programs, such as the Cornell
Cooperative Extension at Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank, ends in slaughter.
This varies across the country, according to Karen Davis, president of
United Poultry Concerns (UPC). She says to "dispose of" the chicks, teachers
are told to put them in refrigerators where they die from the cold, or to
flush them down a toilet. And what is the fate of those who are returned to the farm? Teachers are
told that the chicks will be used for food or in a breeding program, but the
reality is that these chicks come from a very limited gene pool, so most are
thrown into a hopper and ground up for feed or fertilizer. "If you ask the teachers if they are aware of what happens to the chicks
when they are returned, they often respond with, 'I do not want to know,'"
Marino says. "Teachers are not prepared to field student's sometimes
difficult questions. Being ignorant does not exempt you from being
responsible." STANDING UP FOR WHAT'S RIGHT
After Eisemann carefully tended to and bonded with the ducklings for over
two months at the Babylon Middle School, only to find that they would be
killed, he made his stand. He says he was compelled to help the ducklings
because he "did not approve of the terrible waste of life." He shared his
quest through major networking: When Sara Whalen of Pets Alive in Middletown
sent out an e-mail alert that reached thousands of people, he received close
to 100 phone calls. One of the first was from Marino. "Eisemann was determined to find the ducklings a new home and not send
them back to the fate that awaited them," Marino continues. "He was so
concerned about the way they were kept in the classroom�they were in a very
small box and had very little room to exercise. He also exposed one of the
other issues: There is no allotted money if there are any medical problems."
Angel's Gate opened its doors to Eisemann and the four chicks that he and
his classmates had hatched. "He was so excited," Marino recalls. "But when
he arrived at Angel's Gate, he didn't have four chicks, but 22. He called
all the other classes in the school that had also hatched chicks. He wanted
to save them all." When I asked Eisemann if the duck-raising program was still going on at
his school, he replied, "The last time I had contact with any school
officials in regard to the duck program, I received a lecture from my
teacher and an angry, fuming assistant who said, 'You ruined the hatchling
program in Babylon and in three other school districts.' So as far as I'm
concerned, the program is busted." ALTERNATIVES TO THE SLAUGHTER There are many ways of providing humane education in the classroom. For
the last three years, Angel's Gate has run a Reverence for All Life
workshop, where speakers go into the classroom with animals and talk about
"commitment" and "forever caring" and being responsible for the lives one
takes into their life and home. There are also alternative programs, like
bird watching, and virtual programs, such as those used by UC Davis and in
veterinary colleges. "If parents become aware of a hatchling program going on at school, they
should voice their objection and refuse to have their child participate,"
Marino advises. "According to the law, no student is obligated to
participate in experiments that are against their values." Concerned people like Eisemann are an asset to our society. With so many
humans on our planet who have absolutely no regard for animals whatsoever,
he gives hope that our children, who are the future of animal welfare, will
make a difference. Even at his young age, he clearly understands the value
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