Arboreal Gothic

Herr D titled this piece of his 'Apocalyptic Growth 

Of Man,' but I think 'Arboreal Gothic' makes a much

better title. He retains all rights to this parody. I've

obtained permission to reprint it.  I'm pretty sure the 

only mobile plant species that eat humanoids have

orange blooms, but hey--not bad!--Hairy Deewon

I've been reading about livestock practices and how people are outraged about how some animals suffer during being raised, housed, prepped for slaughter, slaughtered, etc. Okay, well, here's some questions: How much would prices go up if you built habitats, petting zoos, etc. for the animals and tended them in a less compact and artificially industrial fashion? I mean, that IS generally the reason humans compact and mechanize things, right? How much more expensive would it be to eat? How inconvenient would it be for any other reason? I mean, social conscience is nice and all, but if your own species' poor can't always afford to eat, don't you need to solve that problem first?

I know it sounds specist, but charity always starts at home. The reason is not that charity CAN'T start away from home--the reason is that charity starts at home or it isn't genuine.

Does anyone out there actually KNOW the answer to these questions?