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Why Were We There? WARNING: Graphic content.

In the lead up to yesterday morning’s action on the Tasman Bridge, Animal Liberation Tasmania worked hard to address its concerns over investigative video footage, released by Animal Liberation NSW, via official channels.

Our spokesperson made contact with police, who in a brief dismissive comment directed us to the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE). When contact was finally able to be made with the department, Tuesday’s (18/10/2016) killings had already gone ahead.

We were informed the Department had someone present for this slaughter, but we have to question the reasoning behind making observations based on an operator who will be on their best behavior while under investigation. The proof is not in his actions moving forward, but what occurred while he was under the impression no one was watching.

This is what disturbs and enrages us, and should stir these emotions in you also.

Why was this facility allowed to continue operating?

The RSPCA called for the immediate closure of this slaughterhouse following the release of footage which exposed severe animal cruelty. RSPCA chief science and strategy officer Bidda Jones said the video was sickening to watch and called for the facility to be closed while the state’s Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment (DPIPWE) investigated. Full article here.

Head of RSPCA Tasmania Peter West, Independent MP Andrew Wilkie and Greens MP Andrea Dawkins have all called for the facility (Gretna Quality Meats) to be shut down, at least while there is an ongoing investigation.

Following the release of the footage Friday night, media attention quickly halted, and this case was soon to become invisible, as have the 11 other Australian abattoirs exposed for horrendous cruelty in the past four years. This violence is systemic in the animal killing industry. As Michael Munnings said himself, “everything on the video was done according to the code.” If this is according to code, as a society we have an ethical responsibility to write a new one. One that doesn’t cause millions of animals to suffer and be killed unnecessarily.

We have compiled this album to help the public understand why we took the action we did. Please read the brief captions, explaining the final moments of these animals lives, and contemplate if this is the type of violence we should be silent to.

You can view the anonymous investigative footage at www.AussieAbattoirs.com, and we thank the brave people who risked their own lives to help the animals. Thank you.

This dairy cow has a broken right leg, which can be clearly seen in this image, folding almost in half as she is forced towards the kill area. It is not known how far she has been made to stagger on this leg, it is known at least that it is broken at the time of entering the slaughterhouse.
In the exposed footage she spends over forty five minutes waiting to be killed. During this time she is trying to turn around in this confined space, mooing in a low, distressed tone. At one point she is sitting down in the “knock box” with blood from her broken leg all around her, watching on as blood is flowing through in front of her from the other room.
She is shot twice with a bolt gun before they begin tipping her into the next room where she will have her head hacked off, and her body cut apart. Blood can be seen pouring from her head. There is then a third shot to the head as the worker points out that her eye movement says something. That she is still alive.
Once she is tipped into this area, keeping in mind she has already been shot twice, she tries to get up. She reacts to the worker and is still clearly conscious and alive. The worker slashes at her throat, then she is shot again with the bolt gun. She makes very strong attempts to stand despite all that she has already endured. She suffers further cuts to her throat and another bolt to the head.
In this image you can clearly see she has suffered several large cuts to the throat, but is still alive. The worker is firing another bolt into her head, we hope her pain is finally over after this.
A worker is captured smiling after cutting the head off her traumatised body. This is the same worker who is seen treading on her cut open neck while she is still alive.
The sow enters the ‘knock box, and is in full view at all times of another female behind her.
She is shot once, twice, with the bolt gun but workers fail to kill her quickly. She is trying to dodge the bolt gun by the third shot. “Ah calm down ya bastard,” a worker yells. And after the fourth shot shows a strong pain reaction. An animal should be killed after the first bolt if done to guidelines, after several attempts to her head with the bolt gun, workers are heard to say “Go and get the f***ing rifle, f*** this.” (rifle is pictured here.) With four metal rods shot into different parts of her head and face, this individual must be experiencing extreme pain. Visible bullet wounds can be seen bleeding on her left cheek. She is still fighting to escape her confinement.
After two shots to the head with the rifle she is still conscious and is thrashing her head. The third shot with the rifle, finally ends her suffering.
Here a pig can be seen watching on with concerned body language as another animal, a companion through this terrifying process, is shot with a bolt and cut open in front of her.
Blood pours from the throat of this being as one worker puts his weight on the pig to keep her from thrashing.
A worker taunts this animal by holding the bolt gun to his face to sniff. Another worker watches on with a wooden post that was used to force the animal into position.
In this image the cow is being tipped from the knock box into the kill room, believed to be dead after two shots with the bolt gun. The worker comments “It’s still blinkin;”, he is still alive and still suffering.
He thrashes his head and horns to escape his confinement. He tries to defend himself against his attackers, he does not want to die.
A worker shows complete disregard for this individual. He is shown here deliberately walking onto the head of sheep whose neck he has just sliced through.
This sheep ran into the kill room to follow the body of her companion who she had just seen harmed in front of her. The footage shows she is then dragged to the side, then returns with her throat cut. No one should have to experience this vision of their kind hung up and bleeding.
A worker is pictured here beating a pig with a pole repeatedly and forcefully, while another man watches on.
Pictured are two scared individuals. One pig at the top of the run is trying to escape the killers gun, the other while initially wanting to go to his companion, backs away in fear.

They do not want to be killed, they do not want to die.
The pig on the left watches as his companion is cut open, with blood pouring out in front of him.
Pigs are highly social, intelligent creatures and it is devastating to see this killing happening in front of him.
Severed heads lay out as trophies.
So recently full of life, now only skin, fur, and flesh left to rot.
More than flesh and bone, we are forgetting that these are individuals, deserving of their lives.
The body parts of animals who did not want to die, discarded with the days rubbish.
Someone, not something.
So abused, so mistreated. We hurt for you and we are trying.
Not food, bodies. Corpses. Doesn’t it tell us something that we must completely distort it from its original form to make it in any way resemble something edible.
Take away their identity, what makes them unique, and package them in a way we are conditioned to find acceptable. We must question this.
Most people feel almost giddy, and smile at the sight of lambs playing, not stopping to think why they are there, where they will end up.

“Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming ALL other living beings, we are still savages.”

Thomas A. Edison

www.AussieAbattoirs.com