On January 24th, Mr. Wang from Henan, Zhumadian, was taking his young bull to market when the bull suddenly knelt down and refused to move, sparking a heated discussion online. According to Mr. Wang’s account to “The Elephant News,” as he was leading the bull out to sell, halfway there, the bull seemed to realize it was going to be sold and suddenly knelt down (with its front legs on the ground). This made him very reluctant, but due to economic pressure, he ultimately went through with the sale.
“It was born with my help, and I definitely felt very uncomfortable about it, but nowadays, livestock farming is losing money, so it must be sold. There are also young calves below that need to grow up and eat grass and fodder,” Mr. Wang said helplessly.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics of the People’s Republic of China, in recent years, the number of farmers forced to sell livestock due to economic difficulties has been on the rise.
On January 25th, the topic “Bull kneels to owner while being taken for sale” trended on social media.
Many netizens expressed their sympathy, with comments like, “The man selling the bull is out of helplessness, and the bull kneeling is heart-wrenching. Life is not easy, and I hope there will be a turning point in the future.” “Now I feel like becoming a vegetarian.” “I could never farm animals. Selling or slaughtering those raised by myself would be unbearable for me.”
Some shared anecdotes, saying, “I used to hear the elderly say that cattle shed tears when being slaughtered.” “The master at the slaughterhouse often sees cattle kneeling and shedding tears, but they have no choice.”
Some netizens also suggested, “Boss, sell the other cattle and leave this one! Maybe it promised to be your helper in a past life.” “Since it knelt down, if possible, refrain from selling it. All beings have spirituality.” “Why not start a live stream, and we can all take care of it together.”