Re: Are we cruel to fish?
Originally Posted by
Mups
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Do you remember years ago, when people used to keep those poor goldfish in the little round bowls?
All day and every day going around the same route, over and over forever.
I suppose it is not unlike birds in cages all their life.
Dogs kept in kennels.
Rabbits kept in tiny hutches, never being able to display natural behavour, like digging and burrowing.
And I'm in total agreement with you here.
I've seen many animals treated horribly like that.
Firstly, NO BIRD should ever be kept in a cage. It is the cruellest thing you can do to an animal that has the ability to fly freely. Why little Grannies insist on budgies in tiny cages is beyond me. Why Yorkshiremen keep pigeons locked away in coops and only let them out occasionally, just so they can race them is also bizarre behaviour. Then again, the stupid bird always fly home so I guess it's their own lookout.
Then there are people who keep dogs shut away in tiny huts or fenced off areas down the garden. It is barbaric. It is literally a prison for the animal and has massive mental impact to it. I've seen it done and it breaks my heart.
We can apply the same things to almost any "pet".
What I personally believe should happen is that any human that wishes to keep an animal out of the wild, should first have to endure for a period of no shorter than a week, the same conditions they intend to subject the animal to.
So if it is a bird, lock them in a cage on their own for a week.
For a dog, lock them in the garage or hut for a week and only take them outside for a 5 min walk once a day etc.
To be honest there is so much animal cruelty occurring that we should really enforce some level of animal training qualification for anyone desiring to keep a pet.
I should say that I don't have any pets at all and likely never will. I know I couldn't devote the time they would need and I'd rather see animals in their natural environment.