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People Eating Animals Isn’t Actually Like Lions Eating Animals
What this vegan thinks of lions
Many people feel an uneasiness around the death of animals for meat — it’s not just vegans and vegetarians. I recently read this eloquent story by a proud Greek-Italian meat lover, who still had difficulty watching slaughterhouse footage.
Still, in our culture it’s easy to feel absurd for caring about the death of animals. Eating meat is so widespread, and has been for so long, that most people simply view it as inevitable.
A common argument vegetarians and vegans run into is that avoiding meat goes against nature. After all, animals eat other animals. Why shouldn’t we? For some reason, when people discuss this we always mention lions. Lions are a like a symbol of our license to consume flesh.
What do I make of this, as a longtime vegan? Why do I continue to avoid eating animals — despite how ingrained it is not only in human traditions, but in the wide web of wildlife?
Whether you’re just trying to understand those who won’t eat meat, or whether you’re seeking reassurance that your feelings of compassion are rational, I hope this article is useful.
Unlike lions, we can choose to eat plant-based
Poor lions. They are constantly getting dragged into our human ethics debates. They just want to stroll the African savanna in peace.
“But what about apes?” might make more sense. Our closest DNA relatives make a slightly closer comparison to human habits. Bonobos and chimpanzees eat mostly plants, but they do also use tools to kill other animals.
Opinions vary whether all humans can eat completely plant-based, but generally, modern society gives big advantages to those of us who want to. There’s readily available info on the internet about what to eat and how to stay healthy. Many of us have access to abundant varieties of plant foods year-round.
I’m grateful that both my biology and privileges let me thrive while harming fewer animals than I might otherwise.
