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Unfortunately, nature is like that. There is a lot of rape in the animal kingdom - ducks and dolphins are kinda notorious for it. Penguins have been observed doing it, chimps, and bedbugs practice “traumatic insemination” which….well I’d advise not image searching that. Nature -is- like that. It is wrong to apply human ethical standards to natural animal behavior. Yes it’s sort of disturbing that frogs will accidentally drown females when they restrain the females during mating. Yes it’s very disturbing that there exists a fish whose entire life cycle involves swimming up a sea cucumber’s anus to eat its gonads. Bulls will try to mate with unwilling cows. Sometimes the cow puts up with it, sometimes she doesn’t. It’s the same with most livestock - roosters can be especially persistent in that way. But we cannot apply human ethics to animal behavior. And it is wrong of us to apply it in such a way that it harms the animal (see the issues with vegan cat food).
Regarding AI and rape, remember that the cows basically don’t know what AI is. To them it is basically another medical procedure - their response might be to step away from the AI tech a bit, but that would also occur during normal vet procedures like checking where the cow is in her estrous cycle (which is done via palpation of the ovaries through the rectal wall, and can be more awkward for the person doing it than for the cow, or at least it was when I had to do it in repro lab). If anything, because AI techs are well-trained and held to high standards for humane handling and performance (remember, stressed cows don’t get pregnant easily), it’s very humane. Unfortunately, for any animal, it’s not like the vet can explain what procedure is going on and why, even if it is needed. So just because the cow is moving away from the AI tech does not necessarily mean she is in undue distress and that the procedure is inhumane, any more than your dog shying away from a vaccine would.
Secondly, AI allows us to perform lots of rapid genetic selection. Because you can inseminate more cows per bull ejaculate using AI than natural cover (in AI, one ejaculate can be split into multiple straws of semen that can be used in AI, any of which could successfully impregnate a cow) you can spread the genes of a successful bull far wider than if you used natural cover, meaning your rate of genetic progress is faster. Many of the gains in the US dairy herd are due to AI and its impact on better genetic selection - compared to 1950, the US is producing 3x as much milk with half the number of cows! (source: Midwest Dairy Association) That’s a major improvement for sustainability as well, since environmental impacts decrease as milk production per cow increases. But this wouldn’t be possible without the increased genetic selection rate AI allows - better genetics can be spread further and help more herds per year.
It’s also a cost savings for farmers - the producer with the cows doesn’t have to pay for the year-round upkeep of a bull who is only useful during the breeding season. Bulls are also a labor hazard to keep around because of their aggression and large size. Natural cover doesn’t always go well for the bull, either. Sometimes the cow decides she doesn’t want to be around that bull at all, and the male can suffer damage ranging from testicular torsion to broken penises, and sometimes the bull needs to be euthanized as a result. It’s incredibly rare, and can happen even when the farmer does everything to prevent it (like putting experienced bulls in with first-time heifers or vice versa), but it is a risk of any sort of natural cover situation. AI is much less potentially traumatic for both cow and bull.
So honestly, any time someone tries to apply human moral concepts like rape to animal behavior, be careful re: what they’re trying to sell you on. In this case, they are trying to make a humane practice that is important for sustainable agriculture seem like something barbarous, and that is wrong. If they want to make their case, they can do it without lying about animal agriculture. If you want to learn more about dairy production and what exactly is involved, contact the extension adviser for your county. If you come with a honest curiosity and willingness to listen, people want to correct misconceptions and counter anti-livestock propaganda. Livestock producers aren’t heartless, they care deeply about their animals and want them to have happy, low-stress lives, too. The US dairy industry provides a sustainable, high-quality source of protein and vitamins and is constantly working towards improving both production and sustainability.
@why-animals-do-the-thing
Unfortunately, nature is like that. There is a lot of rape in the animal kingdom - ducks and dolphins are kinda notorious for it. Penguins have been observed doing it, chimps, and bedbugs practice “traumatic insemination” which….well I’d advise not image searching that. Nature -is- like that. It is wrong to apply human ethical standards to natural animal behavior. Yes it’s sort of disturbing that frogs will accidentally drown females when they restrain the females during mating. Yes it’s very disturbing that there exists a fish whose entire life cycle involves swimming up a sea cucumber’s anus to eat its gonads. Bulls will try to mate with unwilling cows. Sometimes the cow puts up with it, sometimes she doesn’t. It’s the same with most livestock - roosters can be especially persistent in that way. But we cannot apply human ethics to animal behavior. And it is wrong of us to apply it in such a way that it harms the animal (see the issues with vegan cat food).
Regarding AI and rape, remember that the cows basically don’t know what AI is. To them it is basically another medical procedure - their response might be to step away from the AI tech a bit, but that would also occur during normal vet procedures like checking where the cow is in her estrous cycle (which is done via palpation of the ovaries through the rectal wall, and can be more awkward for the person doing it than for the cow, or at least it was when I had to do it in repro lab). If anything, because AI techs are well-trained and held to high standards for humane handling and performance (remember, stressed cows don’t get pregnant easily), it’s very humane. Unfortunately, for any animal, it’s not like the vet can explain what procedure is going on and why, even if it is needed. So just because the cow is moving away from the AI tech does not necessarily mean she is in undue distress and that the procedure is inhumane, any more than your dog shying away from a vaccine would.
Secondly, AI allows us to perform lots of rapid genetic selection. Because you can inseminate more cows per bull ejaculate using AI than natural cover (in AI, one ejaculate can be split into multiple straws of semen that can be used in AI, any of which could successfully impregnate a cow) you can spread the genes of a successful bull far wider than if you used natural cover, meaning your rate of genetic progress is faster. Many of the gains in the US dairy herd are due to AI and its impact on better genetic selection - compared to 1950, the US is producing 3x as much milk with half the number of cows! (source: Midwest Dairy Association) That’s a major improvement for sustainability as well, since environmental impacts decrease as milk production per cow increases. But this wouldn’t be possible without the increased genetic selection rate AI allows - better genetics can be spread further and help more herds per year.
It’s also a cost savings for farmers - the producer with the cows doesn’t have to pay for the year-round upkeep of a bull who is only useful during the breeding season. Bulls are also a labor hazard to keep around because of their aggression and large size. Natural cover doesn’t always go well for the bull, either. Sometimes the cow decides she doesn’t want to be around that bull at all, and the male can suffer damage ranging from testicular torsion to broken penises, and sometimes the bull needs to be euthanized as a result. It’s incredibly rare, and can happen even when the farmer does everything to prevent it (like putting experienced bulls in with first-time heifers or vice versa), but it is a risk of any sort of natural cover situation. AI is much less potentially traumatic for both cow and bull.
So honestly, any time someone tries to apply human moral concepts like rape to animal behavior, be careful re: what they’re trying to sell you on. In this case, they are trying to make a humane practice that is important for sustainable agriculture seem like something barbarous, and that is wrong. If they want to make their case, they can do it without lying about animal agriculture. If you want to learn more about dairy production and what exactly is involved, contact the extension adviser for your county. If you come with a honest curiosity and willingness to listen, people want to correct misconceptions and counter anti-livestock propaganda. Livestock producers aren’t heartless, they care deeply about their animals and want them to have happy, low-stress lives, too. The US dairy industry provides a sustainable, high-quality source of protein and vitamins and is constantly working towards improving both production and sustainability.
@why-animals-do-the-thing
