Henry went to hospital...
twas Bethesda Naval
and took a picture of an ape
in a restraining chair.
And took it to an international
picture wire called Black Star.
Which sent it round the world
and Gandhi saw and knew
that the US of A had broken the treaty
and she cancelled monkey export
because Henry in five hours
cared enough to reach for
one bright and reachable star.
(to Henry Spira, maritime union organizer, teacher of English in
Manhattan public schools, and for the last quarter century before his
death, a wielder of the Archimedes lever in the cause of prevention of
animal suffering.)
(Restraining chair: primates are strapped into these devices for several
months at a time, never released for body functions such as sleep or
defectaion or walking. The muscle cramping and boredom is severe.)
(There are 4500 primates at Tulane undergoing research.)
This is not meant to single out any country, as all harm animals. Some
would argue that because of fast food exports, the U.S. is the biggest
mammal butcher in the world.)
(The bears of China, the sable of Russia, the sturgeon of Turkey, the
seals of Canada, the whales of Norway, the dolphins of Japan, the bulls
of Spain and Mexico, the geese of France, the veal calves of Italy, the
foxes of the UK, the pigs of Poland, the lambs of Greece, the monkeys of
Zaire, the chickens of Haiti all deserve our protection.
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