Whanganui woman holds vigils for animals being slaughtered

Sandra Kyle and supporters hold weekly vigils at Land Meat to raise consciousness of animal deaths and suffering. Photo / Bevan Conley

A woman singing to sheep to comfort them before slaughter has been asked to stay off the Land Meat property.

Sandra Kyle has been in Whanganui for two months and holds a weekly Sunday afternoon vigil outside the company's abattoir in Heads Road, Castlecliff.

There is usually a truck full of animals waiting for slaughter.

Last Sunday she arrived at 1.20pm and was singing to sheep in a truck when its driver became abusive and asked her to get off. The plant's processing manager arrived and made the request more politely, and she complied.

"I have been doing this for six weeks now, and I knew I was trespassing," Kyle said.

She and three supporters are to continue their vigils, but on the footpath. Their aim is to raise consciousness of animal deaths, and Kyle puts up pictures on social media in support of her campaign.

The group wants to promote vegan eating and "put an end to killing sentient beings for food".

But Kyle also has a more particular aim — to comfort the animals.

"The animals sense what's going to happen and don't want to get off the truck. They literally shit themselves with fear."

Pigs often need water when they arrive, and singing or patting animals can comfort them, she said.

"Cows, in particular, seem to like music."

Reactions from truck drivers have varied from tolerant and supportive to aggressive.
Now Kyle would like Land Meat's permission to approach the animals.

For two and a half years she's had an Access Radio show about animals rights called Safe and Sound. It's recorded in Palmerston North and has its own Facebook page.

Aged 69, she is a former polytech lecturer at Unitec in Auckland. She then lived in Otorohanga for three years, holding weekly vigils at a Hamilton slaughterhouse.

She came to Whanganui to be mortgage-free, and said she was enjoying the place.

She has two dogs, two cats, one parrot and three cockatiels all but one of them are rescue animals.