Ok, so part of this is because stories of animals and wildfires are inevitably sad so I try not to seek those out, but I had never before thought of the impact of wildfires on our friends in the dairy industry (talking about the cows, guys). Sounds like it’s…not good. From The Atlantic:
Preliminary results show higher incidence of disease—especially mastitis, an udder infection—and increased risk of mortality among calves when wildfires elevated the level of fine particulate matter, or PM 2.5, in the air. Researchers also found changes in immune cells and signs of inflammation.
Don’t like that. Don’t like that at all. But at the same time, what did we expect? As the article notes, people can just go inside when it’s smoky. Cows? They’re breathing in all that smoke. Poor bovines.
Anyway, if you were on the fence about wildfires before, or about how bad it is that climate change is probably making wildfires worse, think of the cows. Think of the cows before you leave a campfire unattended. Think of the cows before you flick a cigarette into soon-to-be-crackling brush. Think of the cows before you become a thunderstorm and strike a dry area of timber with lightning. Think of the cows before you fail to adequately maintain public forests. Think of the cows before you run an electric company incompetently. And yes, think of the cows before you decide it would be fun to make a massive explosion the central event of your gender-reveal party (or…your child’s gender-reveal party, I guess).
Think of the cows, guys.
such a millennial. not on board with activism until you see it affect your pet.