Seeing photos of these shackles online conjures up images of slavery

Hobbles and shackles are commonly attached to the hind legs of cows that have suffered damage during “calving”, and would not be able to stand of their own accord. Injured cows are often forced to continue in pain, for 7-8 months, until their milk yield drops (so the farmer won’t lose a large quantity of milk) and then they are killed. Seeing photos of these shackles online conjures up images of slavery and shines a light on the very real fact that bred and farmed animals ARE slaves; owned by human “masters” and treated as if they were lifeless objects. However, the opposite is true. Rather than being “property status” or “things”, they are more like persons dressed in a furry coat with many similarities, such as eyes, ears, legs, a nose, a brain, a face, a heart and circulatory system, a nervous system, a digestive system, a respiratory system, a reproductive system, awareness and cognitive abilities, as well as the capacity to feel; to name a few of the similarities we share with nonhuman victims of institutionalized exploitation.
~ Marcia “Butterflies” Katz (August 26, 2010)