What happens to them then?

[Ebonyrose]

This is somethnig i've been wondering about,some may think its pointless or rubbish and if you do I'm sorry.Just wanted to say,if the whole world became vegan(i know its unlikely) but if they did,what would we do with cows and sheep etc.Would we let them roam free around the countryside or would we keep them as pets,or infact would they just become extinct? Are there "wild cows" at the moment or are they all in farms waiting to be taken away to the slaughterhouse.Thanks for reading.

[Alfiedog]

Well that's extraordinarily unlikely - but the population of cows and sheep is pretty much human determined because we breed them for consumption. I don't think there'd be so many if people didn't eat them.

[epski]

As above, plus, these are domestic food production animals. They do not exist in the wild. And, if the entire planet went vegan, it certainly wouldn't happen overnight. Whatever handful of animals still surviving that joyous (and far, far off) day would likely not be simply turned loose in the wild, either. I imagine they'd be kept in a zoo, or something... Of course, this all assumes that no one will ever eat meat again, but I can't imagine that happening in my lifetime.

[marleah]

My (omni) fiance always asks me this question. He's not really serious about it, and doesn't necessarily want a serious answer, but sometimes it starts us on an interesting little debate. He's one of those darn philosophy majors, always arguing with me!!

Anyway - I second what Alfie and Epski said. In the past, there must have been some sort of wild version of cows, etc. ... but they were probably nothing like what they are today. I believe that in the future, some may adapt to living in the wild and we would probably end up with some brand new species. Not saying they'd be released into the wild, but some may get out, etc.

Maybe my great-great-great-grandkids will get to go to a farm museum.

[epski]

Modern cattle would likely have difficulty surviving in the wild. They barely survive the feedlots.

[Life2k]

I don't know about that, Epski. Without neutering of the young bulls and uncontrolled mating, we would probably have the same population as we do in deer. Cows can live off of pasture land and underbrush in wooded areas as well as any deer. Their life cycles would be normal insted of artificially accellerated to produce milk and veal, but they would still be fruitful and multiply.

[Kamila]

IF the world became vegan then cows and sheep would go the way of the horse. The internal combustion engine stopped the usefulness of horses. There are a few (controlled) wild hurds but most are kept by people for whatever reason. I suspect you would still see them at the fair, petting zoo's, and dude ranches (from horse back no doubt).

[The Rev]

I think the few cows, pigs and chickens left after meat consumption ended, would be pets of sorts. I think the day will come, given the way technology is going (and a few housing trends) when people will own and operate small farms simply as a hobby, while maintaining their regular employment or business through electronic networks. The animals would not be treated any worse than regular pets, and would spend their lives in a fairly idyllic setting because the owner of the farm enjoys the lifestyle.

It would be similar to a bunch of little Farm Sanctuaries all over the country, but without the overt mission to help animals.

:D

The Rev

[epski]

I don't know about that, Epski. Without neutering of the young bulls and uncontrolled mating, we would probably have the same population as we do in deer. Cows can live off of pasture land and underbrush in wooded areas as well as any deer. Their life cycles would be normal insted of artificially accellerated to produce milk and veal, but they would still be fruitful and multiply.

Deer are much more agile than cows. I think natural predators would take care of them pretty quick. Many of these cows can barely walk...

[silverundertone]

..i would hope that they would become pets..
the thought of just killing them all...(because theres no more meat consumption)...seems really cruel...i would have thought the whole point of not eating meat was so they could live...:think:
...
it would be nice to see what the world would be like if people could just peacefully co exist with one another..and animals...
doubt it will ever happen tho...:(

[epski]

The whole point of not eating meat is to eliminate the demand for animal products currently bred, grown, and slaughtered in intensive confinement farming facilities (factory farms). Remember that they only exist because they're bred for food. Once that system goes away, the animals that may be left may not be slaughtered. I'm sure they're more likely to end up at a sanctuary of some sort. Of course, we're talking fantasy here. The prospect of humanity not eating meat at all seems too remote to consider, unfortunately. But I'll keep doing my part.

[Life2k]

Deer are much more agile than cows. I think natural predators would take care of them pretty quick. Many of these cows can barely walk...
Maybe California cows can barely walk, but most of Oklahoma and Texas have fenced in plots of 80 acres to a full square mile which holds all kinds of terrain and the cattle survive just fine. Further north, winters might be a problem, but herferd and angus breeds are very hardy and could definately stand South Oklahoma and Texas weather.

[Sokara]

First off I think it would only be logical to assume that most survivors would be neutered/spayed, and I don't think they'd just let them all out into the wild :stinkeye: People can be stupid, but there are a lot of people who pay a bit of attention to the enviroment and letting thousands of non-native animals run into the woods just wouldn't go by. Enviromentalists and hunters would agree on something for once. From an economical stand point, the people who owned the animals would probably try to sell them, then they'd probably have to kill them. You can't just let them all run around on peoples' property. I also don't think that they'd go extinct. People would keep them as pets.

Also, if I was against KILLING animals I would be vegetarian. But I'm vegan because I'm against abusing animals. Abusing an animal in a factory farm would be as bad as abusing the animal by abandoning the defenseless ignorant thing in the wild. Although dying free is probably better.

[Walter]

this all assumes that no one will ever eat meat again, but I can't imagine that happening in my lifetime.
You mustn't lose hope epski!! :p

No, I agree, it's pretty unlikely, however, if the population doubles in the next 30 years like they expect, then who knows what will happen.

It's going to get messy.

[Incomplete]

Well, everyone WILL be vegan, but it won't go over a night:D

[Incomplete]

Your questoin is about if it happend over a night, right?

[epski]

Yeah. That's the thing. We're not going to suddenly loose 80 million cows on the countryside without any boundaries. It ain't gonna happen.

And I don't care how hardy a cow can be, Life; it's not going to survive an attack by a pack of wolves. That said, I had dairy cows in mind and not bulls/steers.