X15 is dead
Thomas & Campo
X15 is dead. His death was like his short life: brutal, dolorous and comfortless. A spate of emotions comes up, if you see the last pictures of his life – angriness, helplessness and shame about the fact, that everything what happened is accepted as “normal”. That is daily routine in the so called agriculture.
It is natural, if you are looking for culprits, for instance while having the wish “to kill the messenger“. In this case we are messengers, we published the destiny of X15, but we did not saved his life. Moreover we filmed his death. But we have to mention that we are not the reason for the evil: 5 million X15 die every year in Austria, X15 existed before our project began and unfortunately afterwards.
But how can we channelise the pent-up emotions, where is the culprit, who should be hated? Is it the farmer, who lives from his animals? Is it the veterinarian, who gives the paper for appropriate holding? Is it the slaughterman, who is not able to anaesthetise the pig enough, so that the animal experiences its own death? Or should we hate every housewife, every consumer, who buys brainless ham and bacon in the supermarket?
The phenomenon of modern “animal production” is monstrous, it is not possible to get simple solutions. Everyone, who wants to change anything, has to start in the surrounding. It must be shown, what happens behind the high walls. We should build an awareness for that cruelty and try to change the behaviour.
If I look back on the project PIG-VISION, I am glad to see the direct result of our project – the pig JACKPOT – that got the chance for a fantastic life on animal paradise Schabenreith. 30.000 people attended the project. But the downer is, that we could not reach enough people who are not interested in themes like animal protection. Usually we wanted to avoid the „preaching to the converted“, we tried to be interesting for those, who are sitting Sundays on a roast pork and to reconsider their attitude and discuss it. But it seemed to be only a wish – who wants to deal with displeasing truths or change the habits? But also for people with awareness for animal rights that project can be a new boosted motivation: a motivation to refer others to the consequences of their acting. On average every Middle-European kills in one year about 20 animals with his eating habits. If every second person standing behind PIG-VISION brings 3 persons to think about the own attitude concerning animal exploitation with the consequence to avoid the misery for the animals, it is possible to reach one million less cases of violence and distress every year! These are only drops in the ocean, but only drops will fill the ocean.
Finally PIG-VISION will not end with the death of X15. In the future we will report on the website about the adventures of JACKPOT with his friends. And I hope it will be possible to put this unparalleled project on DVD for sensitising people.
Thomas Winger
United Creatures
