Jul 08 2009
Michael Jackson, big cats, Tippi Hedren
Like many people around the world I am saddened by Michael Jackson’s early departure from this world. However, I know his music will stay with us for as long as electronic music is around.
Amid the variety of topics written about him in the wake of his death, one of the many that caught my attention was that he was a ‘strict vegetarian’. That term is often used to describe vegans. I do have a feeling that it may be true that Michael did not consume animal parts in his food. However, that alone would not have made him an ethical vegan. For one, he kept a zoo in his Neverland ranch, which an ethical vegan would never have done – he could have kept a sanctuary of rescued animals, but I understand that the animals he kept, and later neglected when money became tight, were bought. He also wore leather. Veganism is not just about food, it’s about a holistically ethical approach to all sentient creatures. So no, Michael Jackson was not a vegan.
I also heard that Tippi Hedren (pictured), the star of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963) and the mother of Melanie Griffiths, has called on Michael’s fans to donate to her big cat sanctuary in California, The Shambala Preserve, which she has kept since 1983. You see, Hedren houses two of Jackson’s tigers, Thriller and Sabu, who are part of a family of 68 animals, mostly rescued from the entertainment industry. I have no information whether Tippi is a vegetarian or vegan but I once read that she became interested in animal welfare during the shooting of Birds. Back then, she refused to wear a fur coat that Hitchcock gave her as a present. That was well before people had any awareness about the plight of animals killed for fur – so credit be given to her for being ahead of her time in this way.
Watch Tippi speaking about her work with big cats:
