Polite Carnivores

as far as carnivores go, humans are pretty polite. granted, we kill rhinos just to cut off their horns - and we kill tigers just for sport, but we're resourceful about it. we also make tigers into sexy rugs. we tend to waste less than other carnivores. a pack of lions might kill an elephant and just eat its meat. chew off the trunk while it's still alive, and then just leave. that is unpleasant. they don't even have the decency to fashion a trash can out of the foot, or make some piano keys from the ivory. we celebrate the indians for using every part of the buffalo and vilify ourselves for having slaughterhouses. they seem better than chasing the animals around shooting pointy arrows into their hide until they collapse from exhaustion and bleed to death. having a pack of lions cling to you with sharp claws as they desperately gnaw at your flesh with their razor-like teeth might be natural, but it sounds incredibly annoying. slaughterhouses are a lot nicer than nature. laying around with your pals being fed twice a day then marching single file right into a sweet lobotomy. you don't see or feel death, and sadly you don't get to see how resourceful they were with the rest of you. they put your horns on the front of their car, your tail into stew, your guts into hot dogs, and they give your ears and feet to their dogs for chew toys. and they write 'all natural' on the package. you're welcome.