West Texas. Buffalo. They Live to Die.

Two men fighting over animals, but neither one loves them. Reading this article, I was once again reminded of how vast and varied our country is. The closest I have been to a ranch is somewhere south of Redbank, New Jersey, but that's horse country. This is cattle country. At the core of the matter is that age-old ethic of being a good neighbor. I consider it an a priori fact that even the early humanoids had to get along well with their neighbors. " Ok, you stay in your cave and I'll stay in mine. " Well, things didn't go as smoothly between QB Ranch's foreman Edmund Cassillas and neighboring ranch foreman Jackie Doyle Hill of Niblo Ranch.

As you read through the article, you will notice that the animals, buffalo in this case, are considered nothing more than chattel property. Clearly, this is about commercial property and not animal welfare. In fact, The QB Ranch isn't a home for animals but a 20,000 acre slaughter pen. With a few exceptions, when one makes animals his business, he turns a cold eye to them and he begins to consider the animals as investment rather than living, sentient beings. As an animal lover and biophiliac, this mentality is totally foreign to me. I reject it completely. Wayne Kirk, the owner of the QB Ranch, lamented the loss of 51 buffalo as a " terrible injustice. " I reckon he isn't sorry for the loss of life, but the loss of profits. Read on.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124890977