Blame Those Who Blamed Pigs

Egypt criticized for 'inhumane' killing of pigs
By MAAMOUN YOUSSEF – 1 day ago

CAIRO (AP) — A leading animal rights group criticized Egypt on Monday for using "shocking and cruel" methods to slaughter the country's pigs over swine flu fears, responding to a YouTube video that showed men skewering squealing piglets with large kitchen knives and hitting others with crowbars.

The controversy was the latest swirling around Egypt's decision to kill all the country's 300,000 pigs out of concerns they will spread swine flu. But the World Health Organization has said it is entirely unnecessary because the illness is being spread through humans.

The government decision also brought accusations that Muslims are attacking minority Christians, who breed the animals. Most Muslims consider pigs unclean and do not eat pork.

The latest troubles started after the independent Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper posted the video showing men standing in the backs of trucks, killing pigs with knives and crowbars and tossing them in front of a bulldozer. The piles of bleeding bodies, some of them still moving, were then transferred to larger trucks, which took them to the desert to be buried in Qalyoubiya province, some 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Cairo. Read More

The responsibility for the deaths of these pigs should fall squarely on the shoulders of the animal rights groups that advanced the theory that pigs were to blame for the flu. For a solid week or two, animal rights groups and the media desperately tried to tie the H1N1 virus to pigs and pig farming. This led to panic in countries like Egypt who irrationally order the destruction of their pig population. Animal rights groups have a goal to put livestock producers out of business by any means necessary. This is what happens when they get their wish.