Teens Protest Campus Steer Slaughter

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Teens Protest Campus Steer Slaughter

 

By CHELSEA J. CARTER

..c The Associated Press

 

BREA, Calif. (May 18) - A 1,000-pound steer raised at

a parochial school was slaughtered in front of

students as young as 5 to teach them where meat comes

from - a grisly demonstration that has drawn protests

from some quarters.

 

The youngsters had their parents' permission to watch,

but animal rights organizations objected along with

teen-age protesters from outside the school, situated

in a well-to-do rural area on the outskirts of this

Southern California city.

 

The 2-year-old steer named T-Bone was killed by a

butcher Thursday at Carbon Canyon Christian School.

The butcher used a stun gun to immobilize the animal,

cut it apart with a knife, skinned it and took out the

organs, allowing the youngsters to take a close-up

look at the heart, the tendons and other parts of the

carcass.

 

About half of the school's 170 students observed after

their parents signed permission slips. Some students

got queasy and left during the lesson, but most were

fascinated, said Dave Kincer, pastor and principal.

 

''It was an awesome experience,'' he said. ''It gave

them a chance to see up close what they've been

reading about in books all year.''

 

Suzanne Daigle, 14, told The Orange County Register:

''I want to be a surgical nurse and that proved to me

that I could handle watching it.''

 

Some organizations cautioned the lesson may have a

lasting effect on children.

 

''Studies have shown that when children view violence

against animals, it desensitizes them to animal

cruelty and makes them more aggressive,'' said Lacey

Levitt of Los Angeles-based Last Chance for Animals.

 

About a dozen teen-agers who do not attend the school

tried to stop the slaughter by forming a human chain

to keep the butcher from entering the campus. But

police told them they could not block access.

 

Anjali Heble, 15, said a friend who attends the school

told her a few days ago about the slaughter.

 

''Everyone was just shocked that this was going on,''

said Heble, a sophomore at a nearby public school.

''They were killing this cow in front of children who

don't have the ability to understand it. ... They

don't know how to handle this.''

 

Some public school officials did not oppose the public

slaughter, noting that 4-H clubs typically raise

animals and learn about the food chain.

 

''It can be shocking and disturbing to children if

they aren't prepared by school administrators,'' said

William Habermehl, superintendent of the Orange County

Department of Education. However, he said, ''there is

no doubt it's an educational experience as long as

there is parental permission and it's

age-appropriate.''

 

He said ''age-appropriate'' might depend on such

things as whether the youngster was raised on a farm.

 

Janice Broyles, a parent and a science teacher at the

school, told the Register she welcomed the chance to

show students how blood pumps from the heart and what

tendons look like up close - lessons demonstrated as

the animal was being cut apart.

 

As for her three children, ages 7 to 11, she said: ''I

was concerned about my 7-year-old seeing it. It could

be scary to see death. But he was really fascinated. I

think it was an excellent lesson.''

 

City Planner David Crabtree said zoning ordinances

where the church is located do not provide for the

keeping or slaughtering of livestock. ''We are trying

to determine if there is a code violation,'' he said.

 

The school is nestled in the rolling hills of eastern

Orange County. It is sandwiched between horse farms

and a state park.

 

 

 

 

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