To think many animal lovers are total hypocrites

[coatilove]

I actually dislike majority of animals, I didn't grow up with them have never had a special relationship with any and have no interest in them at all.

However, I watched a documentary on Netflix tonight called blackfish and I cannot understand how killer whales are being held in captivity and made millions of pounds and so called 'animal lovers' go to watch them and swim with them?

As someone who dislikes animals it still makes me sick to my stomach to see an animal in captivity and I could never pay to support BS like sea world - so how can animal lovers do it?

How do animal lovers eat animals? Or go to zoos?

It baffles me, AIBU?

What a ludicrous claim to make!

Not if you are an omnivorous vet.

I don't need evidence to say some of those people are animal lovers.

Actually you do if you’re starting a thread saying they are hypocrites and asking people if you’re unreasonable. I think you’re unreasonable to state something as a fact that you don’t know to be true.

@coogee

What a ludicrous claim to make!

Not if you are an omnivorous vet.

Ah, I didn’t realise that HoppingGreen was an omnivorous vet.

Apologies, HoppingGreen

Zoos do a lot more these days than just sticking some wild animals a cage.

I do think having animals in captivity is a very complex thing. On one side, I am really against it because they should be allowed to be in their natural habitat. But on the other hand captive animals are ambassadors for their wild cousins. They visualise the importance of wildlife conservation.

Zoos make me very sad.

I eat meat but I buy, as I do with fish/seafood, the most ethical options I can. Costs me a fortune but I can't eat intensively farmed or otherwise mass produced meat. Same with dairy, eggs, etc.

I don't think it's wrong to eat meat, we're omnivores and for many people veganism leads to a host of health problems (envious of those who can manage it while maintaining health though - I can't!).

I also care strongly about the environment and believe eating ethically reared meat is better for the globe than many meat substitutes. I try to balance my ethics about meat with my ethics about the environment and human rights and achieve the best balance I can. I'm always looking to improve.

I include the clothes I wear in this. Buying natural, organic materials as much as possible from brand with decent employee rights. There's more room for improvement here for me than with my diet but I do my best so far as my budget allows. Of course, I don't wear fur and as far as knitwear materials go they have to be ethically obtained. I wear things until they fall apart and recycle or rehome as appropriate.

So yes, I'm an animal lover. I disagree with keeping animals for entertainment and with hunting/shooting. I eat meat and fish and other animal products but this doesn't make me a hypocrite.

Hmm when people say they are an 'animal lover' I don't think that necessary means they love all animals though. They might just love certain species. They might just love domestic animals.. hence why there are a lot of meat eating 'animal lovers'.

My point is that it’s not necessarily
Vegetarian = animal loving and is kind to animals
Omnivore = cruel to animals and/or just sees them as food

It’s much more complicated than that

for many people veganism leads to a host of health problems

Is that veganism or people who try to be vegan but don’t make sure they have the right balance of nutrients in their diet? Because if it’s the latter, that applies to any diet that isn’t nutritionally balanced.

In my view those who move and respect animals don’t ever go to zoos or aquaria.

I'm often surprised at people who claim to love animals.
They get pets and don't look after them properly, or train them, then shut them away in their kitchen, because they get overexcited at visitors. (The dogs, not the people!)

Those sort of animal lovers really anger me.

I don't have any pets precisely because I'm too lazy to put in the amount of work they deserve.

How do animal lovers eat animals? Or go to zoos?

I don’t. Next question.

@Hoppinggreen

My point is that it’s not necessarily Vegetarian = animal loving and is kind to animals Omnivore = cruel to animals and/or just sees them as food

It’s much more complicated than that

I agree.

But you claimed to have helped more animals than most vegetarians. And unless you’re the omnivorous vet someone upthread suggested you might be, you can’t make that claim and not expect it to be challenged.

@HeronLanyon

In my view those who move and respect animals don’t ever go to zoos or aquaria.

So if you stand completely still in a zoo is that ok?

@coatilove how ridiculous, you won't catch any animal lovers at Seaworld!!

Isn't it, like most things, incredibly nuanced?
My local zoo is Chester Zoo - they do wonderful conservation work. It's not like a scummy entertainment zoo.
I'm happy eating meat, but hate factory farming. Therefore I rarely eat meat, but when I do its from a free-range farm I can trust.
I think dairy is more cruel than meat - so I don't buy dairy but will happily eat free range pig.
We all have to make the ethical decisions we can.

I think generally people don’t think about it, zoos and sea life centres are a part of our lives and generally people expect that if it’s legal then it’s fine. I went to sea world and didn’t think about it until a couple of years later

I spent time on a nature reserve in South Africa and saw the amount of space that animals in the wild use and since then I struggle to find zoos entertaining. It comes from education, I don’t think it’s right to shame people for enjoying something that they’ve never had much reason to question.

I watched it when it came out, it's horrifying. People really don't seem to get it. Entitled and can't see farther than their own noses. I visit zoos, but the places I go are genuinely striving to give their animals what they need, and are involved in actual preservation and conservation and breeding programs for vulnerable species. This is all something SeaWorld etc said they were doing but they lied and lied and lied.

@AllThingsServeTheBeam you claim animals don't die for your diet.

I'm intrigued by this stamen, its pretty bold. So what do you eat exactly?

OP, your logic is a bit too simplistic.

Most people are appalled by animals in captivity, whether they have pets or not, or whatever they claim to be.

I mean, billions of people eat meat with no thought of how it was killed or the conditions the animal was kept in. Many of those people claim to be ‘animal lovers.’ Even someone like you, who claims to be disinterested in animals, probably wouldn’t eat meat if you had to kill it.

Anyway, this documentary has obviously affected you and you are clearly now interested in an animal. This is progress! Please watch some others and become further affected and interested. Animals are wonderful and it’s a hollow life without them.

YANBU. So many people would cry or be angry about a video of a cat being put in a bin (an old news story) or a hedgehog being tortured by school kids, but pay a hidden industry to factory farm & slaughter baby animals to eat without batting an eyelid.. and profess themselves animal lovers.

Does anyone think zoos are useful for education eg makes kids aware what amazing creatures exist & how we should be more environmentally conscious? although maybe not such a thing now due to internet/social media.

I'm not an animal lover but do hate animals used for entertainment purposes. Zoos have in some situations done good conversation work with endangered species, but lots of zoos are very bad.

In the past, animal lovers went to Sea World/Zoos etc because they loved to see animals.
Now we know better, Sea World’s attendance has plummeted. Many holiday companies are boycotting them now. Swimming with dolphins is no longer considered a fun holiday excursion.

Nobodies perfect, we are all learning and evolving and trying to better ourselves.

I understand that swimming with dolphins has helped to give these creatures diseases that aren't natural to them and is causing concern.

Also, whale watching is apparently stressing the whales.

UK Sea-life centres are trading on the 'research' ticket , like many zoos. Eg, sea-horse breeding but many breeds , born in captivity , are never able to be reintroduced into the wild, so their breeding programmes are almost null and void eg sea horses, pandas etc...

Sharks and dogfish should never be used to swim around a glass tunnel in a poxy sea life centre. In fact, most marine creatures should never be used as a day trip.
I'm not even happy about zoos either , but at least land animals have enough ( barely) land to cope with unlike sea creatures that need miles and miles of swimming to exist happily.

@Tiramesu yes that's exactly my point.

There was a viral video of someone throwing a cat in the air and everyone was outraged about animal cruelty. Even though the cat was fine, but let's take animals from their natural habitat and lock them up for Forever instead