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The photograph showed seven naked male student vets holding sheep 'tipped' in front of them so as to hide the students' spare parts.
That anyone should complain about sheep being tipped, a technique which the British Cattle Veterinary Association describes as: "widely recognised as being safe and pain-free for the animals" defies logic. But so they did, and according to The Times, it led to personal attacks, harassment and threats against the students who'd made the calendar.
Worse still was the fact that according to various newspaper reports, the complaint originally came from the Veterinary Vegan Network (VVN), a group of qualified and trainee veterinary surgeons and nurses, who reportedly posted on their Facebook page that the photo was 'deeply disturbing'.
Oh come on. 'Deeply disturbing?' Really? I'd argue that any vet who finds that photo 'deeply disturbing' should be asking themselves whether they're in the right job.
There cannot be a veterinary surgeon or nurse in the country who is not aware of the high suicide rate in the profession, or the problems it is facing with retention, so if the complaint did trigger a backlash against the students involved, the VVN should hang its head in shame and apologise to them immediately. Profusely. As the BCVA said in its statement, the vitriol aimed at the students is "both grossly unfair, unfounded and should be condemned."
The RVC's response was predictably politically-correct: Stuart Reid wrote an open letter apologising to those who'd taken offence. But it was pitched very badly. It was long on apology, long on hand-wringing and long on appeasement. It was jaw-droppingly short of an outright condemnation of those who'd harassed his students. Indeed, according to The Times report, an unnamed vet said the college had "thrown its students under a bus."
We live in an increasingly homogenised, politically-correct world in which people complain at the first opportunity and take offence at anything and everything. Our institutions then seem to fall over themselves in the rush to apologise to the perpetually offended Facebook fruitcakes. We all need to fight this. Stuart Reid, ewe need to grow a pair.
To the students involved in the calendar: well done for making the world a slightly less grey place, and remember that for every one fruitcake, there are a thousand more who support your charitable efforts.
No sheep were hurt in the writing of this article.
PS: Whilst you're here, take a moment to see our latest job opportunities for vet nurses.
You are missing the point!
The BCVA may describe tipping as "safe and pain-free" for the animals, but you'd find it hard to argue that these sentient animals 'enjoy' being held in that position? Or whether a technique where they are held in an unnatural way, against their will, does not cause any mental stress? Or that the technique is positive for the animals' mental health?
You could argue that this technique is required in veterinary day to day work, for the long-term health of the animal, however, to put an animal in this position for the sake of a calendar or for human enjoyment is not OK.
In other words, to put an animal through undue stress, for human enjoyment, laughter or entertainment is not OK, regardless of the goodwill intended.
I'd argue that any vet who would deliberately want to cause undue stress to an animal, even for a second, for human entertainment, should as you put it' ask themselves whether they're in the right job'. I believe the vet's involved meant well, but it is a clear oversight on the consideration for the animal's well being as a whole.
And to say that because there is a high suicide rate in the profession, that people who disagree with something should 'not complain' and apologise is ridiculous. Everyone has a right to disagree with something, and I agree that using personal attacks, harassment and threats against anyone to get a personal view across is not OK.
No humans or non-humans were hurt in the writing of this article either.