In Hong Kong, back in the 1950s, cows and buffaloes are imported from other countries. They are slaughtered in Government operated facilities and distributed out. Back in those days, rifles were used to killed the animal in the most humane way. It is very important to kill the cow with a single shot, so that there is no pain. My dad worked in one such facility. One of his daily tasks were to be the designated shooter. Every day, about 30-40 cows were killed. My dad got his shooting training from the army days and with as the practices he gets every day, he was and awesome shooter.

That part of the job is quite mundane but requires utmost concentration and precision. Through that period of around 10 years of his career, he had several unforgettable incidents.

• Incident 1
  One time, a buffalo suddenly went crazy and managed to escape during transport. It was very dangerous if it escape into the urban areas. The buffalo was huge and its horns sharp and powerful. It can do a lot of damage to properties and may even kill anybody in its path. The police were called and my dad was part of the chase team. My dad had his rifle and was designated to be the primary shooter. The buffalo ran to a hilly area and then off the road down a hill. So someone had to kill the animal before anything bad happen. The police in the chase team told my dad to go down and they will be right behind him with additional guns. If the animal charged at my dad or my dad miss his shot, then they will kill the animal with the team firing. My dad went down the slope carefully by himself. The Winchester’s rifle that he was using is optimal only for 50 feet. To be able to kill the animal with one shot, my dad had to get within range and had to shoot him right in between the eyes. He saw the buffalo turned his head and looked, it presented the best opportunity, my dad raised his rifle and with a single shot, the buffalo went down and roll over dead. The team all cheered when they saw the kill. Everybody was relieved and safe. And the animal did not suffer either.

• Incident 2
  Cows from Siam arrived via cargo ships, then shuttle boats are used to get them onto land and trucked to the slaughter facility. One time, one of the bulls went crazy during the transport on the shuttle boat, everybody on the boat including other cows were forced off by the mad cow into the water and so the boat was drifting unmanned. My dad was called to help. He waited on the shoreline and luckily the wind brought the boat closer to shore. The only problem was that the boat rocks back and forth and so wasn’t exactly a static target. Again, you have to aim for the spot between the eye. However, my dad still managed to kill the bull with a single shot.

• Incident 3
  The cows are usually very gentle. Every now and then, a cow may give you the impression that they have intelligence and knows what is going on. My dad has experienced that twice. This one time, as my dad raised his rifle, the cow dropped to its knees with tears rolling down. My dad felt the connection and just couldn’t pull the trigger. He told his helpers to switch that cow to the end of the line so that he will shoot the other cows first. However, when that last cow came around again, the cow again dropped to its knees. My dad just can’t do it. He told his helpers to move the cow to the next day or hand the cow over to be slaughtered via the Muslim Halal method instead.

When my dad talked about the 3rd incident, he got all choked up and was in tears. My dad did the best he can given the situation and job responsibility back in those days.

My note: I am not trying to convert anyone to vegan. However, whatever your believes are, it is very important to treasure what you consume and not waste anything. Over indulgence is bad for your health. It is also a disrespect and waste for the overall circle of life.