If all forms of killing are bad, should we defend animals being killed by natural predators? According to Gary Yourofsky, maybe, but not yet.

So here’s the question put simply: if a cat is stalking a squirrel with the intention of killing it, should we act and do something?

The squirrel doesn’t want to be killed by the cat, as much as a cow or a pig doesn’t want to be killed by a human or any other pseudopredator. They might get a chance to fight or flee, unlike animals in the animal agriculture industry today, but it doesn’t negate the fact that they may be on the verge of losing their lives.

Gary Yourofsky, founder of ADAPTT (Animals Deserve Absolute Protection Today & Tomorrow), speaks on this controversial issue in his “Excuses” speech, back in 2014, but does it still hold true today?

Gary claims that if animals should be treated as equals to humans and receive fair treatment, then they too should get arrested and charged with murder when committed. He presents a hefty disclaimer, though: this will only happen when humans who consume animal products accept that they too must face the same fate.

“Be careful of throwing stones at your glass wall. Because if we really wanna arrest animals and charge them with crimes, they actually need equal rights, they currently have no standing in court which means we can’t even bring them to trial. But as soon as animals receive the same rights of life and liberty as us, meaning they cannot be the victim of slavery and murder, I’ll call the cops on the next cat I see for killing a squirrel”.

Gary Yourofsky, “Excuses“, 2014

So what about carnivorous animals stalking and killing prey? Should we accept that due to their biological framework they should freely kill them? If we do, are we acting hypocritically in accepting the “circle of life” argument for some species and not for others?

I’m certainly not claiming that this be the case, simply presenting some interesting food for thought and an interesting logical extension one may ponder when exploring vegan ideology in its totality.

Let me know what you think about this in the comment section!