Bill and Lou still alive

Green Mountain College has postponed the slaughter which had been planned for Halloween.
http://james-mcwilliams.com/?p=2568

In Poultney, the oxen team of Bill and Lou are still alive. Green Mountain College was set to send the aging pair to slaughter by the end of this month — setting off an international petition drive to save the oxen. But as of this morning the pair were still in their pasture. The college Wednesday confirmed that the oxen will not be spared but that the date to send them for slaughter has been pushed back. Officials would not say why the date has changed. UPDATE#2 (9:54) Interesting development, in case you haven’t heard. Steven M. Wise of the NhRP has challenged OMC faculty to a debate regarding Bill and Lou, though he still hasn’t heard back.http://www.facebook.com/steven.m.wise/posts/10151251948737239 UPDATE (9:20) from Mark Bekoff!: It must be noted that here have been innumerable ‘civil’ objections to the unnecessary and reprehensible killing of Bill and Lou from around the world -we need to keep the pressure on in kind and civil ways because it’s clear that cruelty can’t stand the spotlight and they need to realize they won’t lose face by doing what’s right, and that is to let Bill and Lou go to Vine and live out their lives with respect and dignity – their unrelenting appear to impersonal ecological and philosophical arguments completely ignores WHO Bill and Lou truly are – sentient beings who deserve a good life – this is NOT a matter of one’s meal plan, it’s matter of doing what’s right …… _______________________ Before you get too optimistic about the oxen’s fate, however, see this explanation for the reprieve from Paul Fonteyn, President of Green Mountain College. Still, KEEP UP THE PRESSURE: As you know, Green Mountain College has become the focus of widespread attention regarding our decision to slaughter our ten-year old team of oxen. I stand by the decision our community arrived at through a process that insured that all members had the opportunity to express their opinions. I also compliment faculty, staff and students who, whether they personally agreed with the final decision or not, have demonstrated extraordinary civility in their interactions with each other, and with external individuals and organizations. Some of these external groups are attempting to use Bill and Lou as mascots for their own animal rights agendas. I am appalled by the abusive nature of some of the communications you have been receiving–if you are concerned about personal threats please notify the Office of Student Affairs. Initially we decided to slaughter the oxen by the end of this month. However, we will not be able to meet this timetable because regional slaughterhouses have been inundated with hostile and threatening emails and phone calls from extremist groups bent on interfering with the processing. These businesses are mostly small, family-operated Vermont enterprises that provide local meat for local consumers. This is a busy time of year for them, and many have expressed fears that their operations might be shut down by protesters if they accept the oxen. We have decided to continue to care for the oxen until a date with a reputable slaughterhouse can be obtained. In the meantime, Lou and Bill will not be sent to a sanctuary but will continue to stay with us in familiar surroundings. Eventually the animals will be processed as planned.