Dear Editor:

There are so many factory farms right now that keep all of their animals locked down in cages that barely fit their bodies. They make the animals suffer through uncomfortable styles of living and get them as fat as they can just to kill them later on.

Humans get extremely worked up when any person gets injured by an animal. What we don’t realize is that animals don’t harm people out of anger or because they want to, most often it’s only through self-defense or a courtship squabble. They don’t even hurt their own species, and kill other animals only when they need to for food. Animals kill other animals when they have to eat something, and they don’t waste any single part of the carcass.

Then there are humans who kill when it’s unnecessary and let half of the animal carcass go to waste because it’s not what they want.

Factory farms have to start creating more free range, natural habitats for animals, because they don’t deserve to live their whole lives in mistreatment and torture just to be slaughtered. It may take more money to let animals live a content life, but they have feelings as well. We should not farm them like we do and then feel angry when any human is injured by one.

Some people may not have a strong reaction to animals hurting humans, but it is nationally broadcast and brought to the attention of most of the people in our society as an outrageous happening. We should treat animals better, simply because they typically treat us well, despite the circumstances.

Emma Leonard
Boothbay